Cops on vigil as Chaddi gang on prowl in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: Residents living on the outskirts of Vijayawada city are panicked with the reports of house-breaking incidents and movement of Chaddi gang, who which is notorious for mercilessly attacking people and robbing valuables.

In the past two weeks four major incidents of robbery and attempted robbery were reported on the outskirts of the city causing panic among residents particularly the families living in apartments, group houses and individual houses.

Meanwhile, the police have stepped up patrolling and vigil on the outskirts of the city. It may be recalled that incidents of house-breaking and attempted robbery were reported in an apartment near Milk project, Guntupalli, Poranki. Besides, the burglars targeted some apartments in Tadepalli, which is very near to the city.

The police during the course of investigation noticed some culprits who were involved in two cases. The CC camera footage showed that the culprits wore chaddi and covered their faces with masks. In two cases, the miscreants robbed cash and gold. The police collected clues and expedited the investigation to nab the culprits.

Commissioner of Police Kanthi Rana Tata visited an apartment near Chanumolu Venkat Rao Flyover on the outskirts of Vijayawada and spoke to the residents. Later, he visited the railway stations and other places. The CP spoke to the Gujarat police officials and informed them about the thefts and movement of suspected Chaddi gang in and around Vijayawada city.

The police believe involvement of Gujarat-based Chaddi gang. The criminals belong to one social group in Gujarat and commit housebreakings and robberies in various parts of the country. The gangs hail from Dhavod district and are notorious for attacking people and looting valuables from houses. The gang selects the targets during the day time and conducts recce before committing the offence during the night. During the day time, they visit various colonies particularly on the outskirts of the cities and towns and choose the target. With deadly weapons, they break open the locks and loot the valuables when inmates are not present at home. The timing of theft is between 1 am to 3 am and they mercilessly attack people if someone obstructs their robbery.

Commissioner of Police Kanthi Rana said the city police increased patrolling on the outskirts of the city and teams were formed to nab the culprits involved in the thefts. Chaddi gangs were formed in early 1990 and police and people came to know about the gang in the early 2000 when use of CC cameras increased gradually. Chaddi gangs are notorious in Hyderabad and nearby cities because of many offences committed by the gang.

The Chaddi gangs have five to seven members and select easy targets on the outskirts of the cities and towns.

Generally, the gangs stay more than a month in a city and conduct a detailed study on how to target houses and loot valuables. The city police also released the images of the suspected Chaddi gang members and asked the people to be on high alert during the nights.