ANANTAPUR: In a major breakthrough, Guntakal police nabbed notorious gangster Sunkara Prasad Naidu of Cherlopalli in Hyderabad on Sunday. The gangster is implicated in 11 murder and abduction cases in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Police also arrested 12 members of Sunkara Prasad’s gang, along with a pistol, 16 rounds of cartridges, two cars, a bullet motorcycle and ₹6.50 lakh in cash. The gang acquired notoriety while being involved in murders and abductions over the past two decades.
According to police, Mohan Naidu of G. Kottala in Guntakal mandal of Anantapur district had become a member of the gang after getting attracted by videos of gangster Sunkara Prasad. Mohan informed the gang about a rich farmer Konanki Venkatesh belonging to his native village.
SP Dr. Fakkeerapa Kaginelli said the gang abducted Konanki Venkatesh from G. Kottala village in a car on July 20. They held him at a deserted place near Obulapuram in Dhone mandal. The gang called his family members over phone to bring ₹20 lakh to free Venkatesh or face dire consequences.
The family, however, informed the police who alerted all police stations and tracked highways in AP, Telangana and Karnataka. Police traced the whereabouts of the abductors and freed Venkatesh after nabbing the gang at Obulapuram Mitta near Dhone on Sunday.
The same gang had extracted ₹24 lakh from family members of Swamiji Muthyla Gangaraju of G. Kottala village on June 29. Ganga Raju had established a temple on three acres of land and offered treatment to a large number of devotees regularly. The gang targeted the priest, kidnapped and released him after extracting ₹24 lakh cash. The issue had, however, not come to light.
The gang got busted under the leadership of Guntakal DSP U. Narasingappa after the kidnap of Konanki Venkatesh. SP Fakkeerapa has asked victims of Sunkara Prasad gang to approach Anantapur police.
Sunkara Prasad Naidu alias Arlagadda Prasad alias Prasad Reddy, 50, is a native of Gudimetla village in Racharla mandal of Prakasam district.
The other gang members arrested are Illendula Ranjith, 24, of Thimmampet in Jagar Ghad mandal of Janagam district, Saiba Bhaskar of Veerannapeta in Mahaboobnagar district, Pasunuri Anil Kumar of Cherlopalli in Hyderabad, Prem Kamal of Govindapuram in Huzurnagar of Suryapet district, Pappu Singh of Cherlopalli, Chukka Venkatesh of Gatla Khanpur in Wanaparthy district, Tammineni Mohan Naidu, K. Vijayabhaskar Babu and K. Madhu of G. Kottala, and Bonala Venkatesh, Puli Ramanjineyulu and Ramanaiah of Guntakal.
