Prakasam police bust treasure hunt gang, arrest 64 people

Ongole: The Prakasam district police arrested a treasure hunting gang, which dug a hill and made a tunnel of 200 meters in search of three rooms filled with gold and diamonds. The police found that the gang has spent about one crore rupees for the accommodation and food for coolies, explosives and machinery costs used in the tunneling of the hill.

• According to the Prakasam district police, Surasani Ravindra Reddy, a native of Machavaram village in Kanigiri mandal worked as country head of sales in Star Agro with a pay package of about Rs. 30 lakh per annum
• Dissatisfied with the career, he ventured into commodities trading and real estate business and lost about `1 crore

According to the Prakasam district police, Surasani Ravindra Reddy, a native of Machavaram village in Kanigiri mandal worked as country head of sales in Star Agro with a pay package of about Rs. 30 lakh per annum. Dissatisfied with the career, he ventured into commodities trading and real estate business and lost about Rs. 1 crore.

To earn easy money, he associated with a guru from Vijayawada, Bandi Umamaheswararao, a physically handicapped, to unearth treasures and was cheated by him for Rs. 47 lakh. Later, he met Doddala Dharmendra Rayudu, another guru from Vijayawada who boasted that he had a vision in pooja about three rooms in the Tiger Cave under Gongati Konda at Kotcherlakota near Donakonda.

Later, Ravindra Reddy formed a team with his brother Narasareddy, Umamaheswararao, Rayudu and convinced Malyadri, Mallikharjuna, Derangula Srinu from Hyderabad, Gopal and Srinivas from Markapur to invest for the digging of Gongati Konda.

They later involved Venkatadri and Sivasankara Reddy to supply the explosives, Ravindra from Ponnuru and Venkatareddy from Nellore to supply 41 coolies from Ponnuru, Cherukupalli, Nagaram, Nellore, Nandhyala and Dhone. The main conspirators offered partnership with everyone involved in the digging, tunnelling of Gongati Konda.

The police arrested the main conspirators Ravindra Reddy, Narasareddy, Umamaheswararao, Allu Ratna Srinivasa Reddy and Rayudu at Rudrasamudram and recovered statues of gods, gilt ornaments, 75 gelatine sticks, 50 detonators and 10 kg ammonium nitrate. With the information received from them, they arrested Battuala Rambabu, Surasani Kasireddy, Varikuppala Lingamaiah, Derangula Edaraiah, Bandi Lakshmareddy, Bandi Subbareddy, Bandi Ramanjaneyulu Reddy and the 41 coolies digging the hill.

The seized 100 gelatine sticks, 41 detonators and 5kg potassium nitrate from them. The police also arrested Venkatadri and his associate Haneef Basha, Anil Kumar, Botchu Srinu in Markapur and Malyadri, Mallkharjuna and Srinu for investing in the hill digging mission.

Bhusarapu Satya Yesubabu, SP, said, “There are about 74 people accused in the case and we have arrested 64 of them including the 41 coolies. They were on the job for around seven months and told the locals that they are collecting samples of stone as per the government orders. The search for the remaining people is on.

In the investigation, we found that Umamaheswararao has cheated a number of people in the state for Rs. 3 crore. We request the public to take a lesson from the experience of Ravindra Reddy who lost a good career and life running after easy money.” The SP appreciated the police personnel involved in the investigation of the case and said all of the accused will be produced before the court for legal action.