Bapatla police arrest three in interstate robbery case

Vijayawada: In a breakthrough, police in Bapatla district have arrested three members of a notorious inter-state gang from Madhya Pradesh, linked to a string of violent robberies across southern states. The accused — Bhuru Makwana alias Bhuru Sadhan Bill (40), Ramesh Machar alias Remo (22), and Santosh Bhuria (24) — belong to the Billa tribe from Dhar district and have been involved in multiple crimes.The arrests follow a shocking robbery reported on Jan 27 in Chirala, where the trio allegedly broke into a house in the early hours, attacked the owner Bachu Venkata Subba Satya Ramanjaneyulu and his sister, and looted gold ornaments. Acting on the complaint, police launched a detailed investigation.Superintendent of Police B Umamaheshwar formed special teams under CCS DSP P. Jagadish Nayak and Chirala DSP MD. Moin. Using CCTV footage, fingerprints, and technical surveillance, police tracked the gang's movements across multiple districts, including Guntur, Prakasam, and Nellore.The accused were finally nabbed on April 28 by Chirala inspector Somasekhar and his team. During interrogation, they confessed to committing offences at 18 locations, including Gudur, Tenali, Ongole, and Kavali.Police recovered stolen property worth ₹30.88 lakh, including 137 grams of gold, 1.5 kg of silver, ₹5 lakh cash, and four two-wheelers. Investigators revealed the gang targeted homes, assaulted victims, and carried out chain snatching and vehicle thefts across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Rajasthan.Police said the gang often carried out crimes around their "Bogoria" festival. Officials have intensified efforts to trace further links as the investigation continues.