Three held, 37 bikes recovered

Bapatla: The Bapatla district police have arrested three persons involved in a series of two-wheeler thefts, recovering 37 motorcycles worth Rs 21.20 lakh.

Bapatla district SP B Umamaheswar announced the arrests at a press conference on Sunday, revealing that special teams formed under CCS DSP P Jagadeesh Naik and Inspector Premaiah used technical surveillance and CCTV footage to crack seven registered cases.

The SP said they arrested Kagga Sambasiva Rao (32), a lorry driver from Guntur district, who has been stealing bikes for two years to fund his lifestyle. He said that Sambasiva Rao operated across Bapatla, Guntur, Palnadu, Vijayawada, and NTR districts, using duplicate keys to steal parked vehicles outside homes and hospitals. Police linked him to 33 thefts.

SP said that Dasari Gopiraju (32) and his brother, Dasari Durgarao (24), from Chirala, turned to bike theft six months ago due to financial difficulties. They stole four vehicles in the Chirala and Addanki areas.

SP Umamaheswar said the district police recovered 60 bikes worth Rs 40 lakh in the past week alone. He urged citizens to install safety locks and GPS devices on their vehicles, warning against complacency despite the substantial investment in purchasing motorcycles. He presented cash rewards to the investigating team for efficient work.