Image used for representational purposes only. A former home guard working as a bike-taxi driver has been arrested in chain-snatching cases in Anakapalli.
| Photo Credit: YakobchukOlena
A former home guard with the Cyberabad police, who served a prison sentence for chain-snatching in Telangana, has been arrested in Andhra Pradesh on charges of snatching chains while working as a bike-taxi driver. The Anakapalli police arrested him on Tuesday (October 6, 2026), along with a woman who allegedly received and sold the gold ornaments.
The accused were identified as Mahender Singh, 40, a native of Rajasthan now living in Madhurawada, and M. Latha Ratnakar, 52, of Kommadi.
The police recovered around 4.5 tolas of gold jewellery linked to two chain-snatching cases reported in Anakapalli.
According to the police, Mahender Singh had worked as a home guard with the Cyberabad police. He later took to chain-snatching, targeting women walking alone in Telangana between 2013 and 2015. He was arrested and served a prison sentence.
After his release, Singh moved to Madhurawada, where he had been working as a bike-taxi driver, the police said. He allegedly used the job to move around different areas and target women walking alone in Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Srikakulam, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada and Nellore.
In Anakapalli, Singh allegedly committed two chain-snatching offences on May 22.
The Visakhapatnam Airport police and the Anakapalle Town police jointly investigated the cases and secured police custody of the accused with the court’s permission.
Absconding for 16 years
In a separate case, the Nakkapalle police arrested a man who had allegedly been evading arrest for 16 years in a case registered under Section 498A of the IPC and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
A non-bailable warrant (NBW) had been pending for years against the accused, D. Apparao, who had been absconding for nearly 16 years and could not be traced despite repeated attempts, the police said.
A fresh NBW was issued by the court around 10 days ago. Following instructions from senior officers, Nakkapalle Sub-Inspector Sunny Babu and his team intensified surveillance and launched a search for the accused. Acting on specific information, the police traced and apprehended Apparao on Monday.
He was produced before the court at Yelamanchili, which remanded him in judicial custody.
Published – October 07, 2026 01:37 pm IST
