Bapatla police arrest two inter-district chain snatchers; gold and vehicles of ₹24 lakh seized

Vijayawada: Bapatla district police arrested two inter-district chain snatchers who allegedly targeted women travelling alone and recovered stolen property worth around Rs 24 lakh.District superintendent of police B Uma Maheshwar disclosed the details at a press conference at the Bapatla district police headquarters on Monday. The accused were apprehended by teams from the district crime control section (CCS) and Karlapalem Police.The case pertains to Crime No. 193/2025 registered at Karlapalem police station. The complaint was filed by Karri Lakshmi Prasanna, 41, who was returning home on her scooty after completing her Mahila Police duty on Oct 29, 2025. Two men allegedly approached her on a motorcycle near the Ayyappa Swamy Temple on NH-216 in Karlapalem and snatched her gold chain, and fled.Following the incident, special teams led by senior officers were formed. Using CCTV footage and technical surveillance, police traced the suspects and arrested them on March 1, 2026, around 4 pm at a tea stall on NH-216 in Karlapalem mandal.The accused were identified as Patnala Venkata Durgaprabhu Akhil, 28, and Shaik Raja, 28, both residents of Guntur district. Police said they were involved in multiple chain-snatching cases across Karlapalem, Narasaraopet, Addanki, and Ponnur.A total of 129.57 grams of gold ornaments and three motorcycles used in the crimes were seized. Police said further investigation is under way.