Addanki : The Addanki police arrested seven individuals in connection with two wine shop burglaries in late January 2025. On Saturday, the suspects were apprehended near the 99-foot Anjaneya Swamy statue in Addanki town. The police recovered stolen liquor worth Rs 1,59,130, including 433 bottles of various premium brands.

According to Chirala DSP Moin, the police registered two liquor theft cases, one at Addanki Police Station involving 337 bottles, and another at Ballikurava Police Station involving 96 bottles, along with Rs 20,000 cash and mobile phone.

The investigation of the police led to the accused, all residents of Vinukonda town, identified as Manduri Sriram alias Sastri (20), Tumati Charan (21), Siddabattula Ramasai (21), Pola Venkata Reddy (24), Nakka Lakshman Rao alias Lakki (24), Sheikh Chinna Fareed Basha alias Pandu (21) and Vemula Nagaraju (30). The DSP explained that the suspects, who worked as auto-drivers and daily wage laborers, planned the thefts to fund their alcohol addiction. The gang used an Etios car, with registered number AP 07 CB 3636, to scout locations and targeted shops along highways away from their hometown to avoid detection.

On the intervening night of January 27 and 28, they broke into the two shops using crowbars and stole 781 bottles of various brands of whisky, brandy and other spirits, as well as a mobile phone worth Rs 2.75 lakh.

The police seized 337 bottles of the stolen liquor worth Rs 1,31,370, Rs 10,000 in cash, a mobile phone, and the vehicle used in the crimes. District SP Tushar Dudi commended the Addanki police team, including CI A Subbaraju, SIs Sk Khadar Basha, K Raviteja, ASI B Vasanth, and others, for their swift action in solving the cases.