Polamamba Temple Theft: Vizag Police Arrest 3 Individuals

The Vizag Police, on Thursday, said that they arrested three people in connection with the theft of gold and silver ornaments, and cash, at Karakachettu Polamamba Temple in Pedda Waltair. Earlier on 21 March, 2021, the burglars had broken open and stole 250 gm gold jewellery, including a gold crown, 4 kg silver, and around Rs 3.25 lakh, from the hundi of the temple.

According to sources, those arrested have been identified as P Umesh (43) and his two sons, one aged 19 and the other 16. The trio hail from South Kundra, Tamil Nadu. The Vizag Police informed that the 19-year-old accused, Dhiraj, was arrested near the Payakaraopeta area in Vizag on charges of ganja smuggling on 26 February 2021. Later, Umesh and his younger son came to Vizag when Dhiraj was released on bail on 16 March. During their stay, they had visited Polamamba Temple a couple of times.

Reportedly, the gang conducted a recce of the Polamamba temple on 19 March 2021. On the following day, they purchased the equipment, required to carry out the burglary, at a shop located in Poorna Market. In the wee hours of 21 March, the criminals gained entry from the rear end of the temple. They broke open the lock, found the keys to the almirah on the wall, and took away gold ornaments, cash, and other offerings.

Addressing the media, Visakhapatnam City Police Commissioner, Manish Kumar Sinha (IPS), informed that a team of police, led by CI Simhadri Naidu, arrested the accused and recovered the stolen property. While Umesh and his 19-year-old son were taken into remand, the minor was sent to a juvenile home.

Sharing further details, he said, “We found an implement (used for breaking the locks) around 200 meters from the crime scene and got some footprint. We located the seller of the implement and examined the CCTV footage at the shop. Our team has found that they spoke Tamil, and broken Telugu, during their stay at a hotel in the city. Based on the information provided by the hotel staff, we traced the location of the accused.”