Vijayawada Police Bust Interstate Gang Targeting Bus-Stand Passengers
The first case was reported on November 24, when a passenger from the Krishna Lanka area realised that Rs.44,000 had been stolen from him while boarding a bus to Guntur on November 23.
Vijayawada: City police have arrested four members of an interstate theft gang that targeted passengers at crowded bus stands, recovering stolen gold ornaments and cash worth approximately `5.44 lakh.
The accused, belonging to the notorious Maharashtra Parthi gang, were apprehended near the Pandit Nehru Bus Stand following a coordinated operation by the Krishna Lanka police station.
The arrests followed multiple complaints from passengers who had their valuables stolen while boarding buses at the busy terminal.
The first case was reported on November 24, when a passenger from the Krishna Lanka area realised that Rs.44,000 had been stolen from him while boarding a bus to Guntur on November 23.
Two more theft complaints were filed on November 25, prompting police to intensify their investigation. Using CCTV footage from the bus stand and surrounding areas, along with advanced surveillance tools, special teams tracked the suspects’ movements.
The arrested individuals are Prashant Rajendra Bhosle (26), Kavitha Bhagwan Bhosle (50), Manju Pawar Bhosle (27) and Bhavan Anand Bhosle (25), all from villages in the Aurangabad and Haidanagar regions of Maharashtra.
Police investigations revealed that the gang had travelled from Maharashtra to Vijayawada on November 22 with the intention of committing thefts. Posing as ordinary passengers in crowded areas, they systematically targeted unsuspecting travellers.
On November 23, they stole cash from one woman’s handbag and 26 grams of gold ornaments from another passenger at different platforms. On November 25, they stole 24 grams of gold jewellery from yet another victim’s bag.
Police records show that the accused have several theft cases pending against them in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Odisha. Their method involved blending into crowds at bus stands and railway stations and exploiting the commotion to pickpocket valuables.
The breakthrough came when crime staff identified the suspects through CCTV analysis and set up surveillance around the bus stand. When the gang arrived on Wednesday morning to commit another theft, they were intercepted near the Seethamma statue and taken into custody.
