Andhra Cop snatched gold chain to pay his cricket betting debt, arrested

Vijayawada: In a strange turn of events, a police constable was arrested for snatching a woman's chain in Kaikaluru town. Singidi Satyanarayana, who is from Appanapeta in Ganapavaram, has been working as a constable at the Undi police station in West Godavari district since 2008.

The constable was involved in cricket betting and online poker and was in debt. He had befriended B. Subhash (21) near Uppuluru while playing volleyball.

According to the sub-inspector of Kaikaluru, on the night of 27 March, the two men arrived in Kaikaluru on a motorbike. Satyanarayana went to a grocery store near Santa market and asked for cashew nuts. When the woman in the grocery store turned her back, he snatched the chain she was wearing and escaped. Subhash was waiting for him with the motorbike and the duo fled the spot.

Local people who witnessed the incident chased the duo and managed to catch Subhash. During police interrogation, he revealed Satyanarayana's details. "He came to Kaikuluru to snatch chains to clear his cricket betting debts. There were no previous cases against him," said the police.

Satyanarayana was arrested on Wednesday night. A gold chain worth Rs. 1,20,000, a knife, and pepper spray were seized from him.