Temple idol theft gang busted in Rachakonda, property worth ₹5.36 lakh recovered

Hyderabad: Acting on credible intelligence, Rachakonda police on Wednesday arrested three persons involved in a series of temple idol thefts under Ibrahimpatnam and Abdullapurmet police station limits, recovering stolen property worth ₹5.36 lakh.

Commissioner of Police G. Sudheer Babu said officers from CCS LB Nagar and Ibrahimpatnam police station apprehended the accused at Mangalpally X road around 8:30 am.

The arrested have been identified as Karacha Sivananda, 52, of Vanasthalipuram, Shaik Ham Shareef, 38, a migrant labourer from Prakasam district, and Akkapalli Kranthi Kumar, 31, of Uppal, who acted as a receiver of stolen goods.

Police said Sivananda and Shareef befriended each other while working as daily wage labourers and hatched a plan to steal temple idols to make quick money. They used a stolen Honda CB Shine bike for transport and conducted recce across villages before targeting temples.

Between February and June, the gang allegedly committed multiple thefts at temples in Yacharam, Ibrahimpatnam, and Abdullapurmet, stealing Panchaloha idols of Sri Rama, Sita, Laxmana, Hanuman, Ayyappa Swamy, as well as pooja items, hundi boxes, gold items, and brass stands.

The recovered items include 15 idols of various deities, temple bells, brass stands, hundi boxes, mobile phones, a wristwatch, weighing machine, crowbars, and duplicate motorcycle keys.

Police revealed Sivananda was a habitual offender with past cases in Warangal and Rachakonda, while Shareef had no previous criminal record. Kranthi Kumar, who purchased stolen idols for scrap, was also held.

Altogether, 7 related cases were linked to the gang across Yacharam, Ibrahimpatnam, Abdullapurmet, and Uppal police stations.

Commissioner Sudheer Babu commended the investigating teams from CCS LB Nagar and Ibrahimpatnam PS for their prompt action.