Gang robbing commuters on Vizag's Dharakonda ghat road busted, 2 held

Visakhapatnam: The Vizag Rural police arrested two key members of an Odisha gang who waylaid commuters and stole their valuables and vehicles at gunpoint on the Dharakonda ghat road in Vizag Agency. The police have recovered three Italian-made pistols from them.

The arrested have been identified as Sujay Mondal (34) and Naresh Mondal (21). Both are from the Malkangiri district in Odisha. So far, 12 gang members have been arrested.

Chintapalle ASP D. Tushar said the gang had committed five crimes on the Dharakonda ghat road under Sileru police station limits in Vizag Agency in October 2021 and January and February this year. The place where the crime occurred is a remote area that doesn't have mobile connectivity. It is far from both GK Veedhi and Sileru police stations due to which the gang found it convenient to conduct their criminal activities.

Pradeep, one of the key members of the gang, was nabbed in January 2022. He revealed that Sujay was the kingpin and he had been involved in 17 crimes (theft, breaking in, and robbery), including five under Vizag Agency, one under East Godavari district, and 11 under Malkangiri district, Odisha.

Based on credible information, the police nabbed Sujay and Naresh in Odisha.

Inspector of GK Veedhi, G. Ashok Kumar, said efforts are on to nab six other members of the gang. "We are also investigating how the gang procured the Italian-made guns. We suspect that one of the members of the gang, who lives in Delhi, might have procured the weapons," said the inspector.

The police had earlier recovered gold and a stolen car from the gang. They hope to recover more stolen items in the coming days. "With the arrest of the key members of the gang, we can say that the area (where the crimes were reported) is safe for commuters," the inspector added.