In a major crackdown, police in Markapuram district arrested eight members of an inter-district motorcycle theft gang on Friday, August 14, 2026, and recovered 13 stolen two-wheelers worth approximately ₹17 lakh.
The gang, which targeted parked motorcycles in various locations across Cumbum, Bestavaripeta, Markapuram, Kavali Rural (Nellore district), Vetapalem (Bapatla district), and Kondandapuram (Jogulamba Gadwal district, Telangana), was apprehended while attempting to sell the stolen vehicles after altering their number plates at Y-junction in Cumbum village.
The accused, identified as Pasuleti Rasul, Battula Srihari, Battula Srinu, Anneboyina Akhil Kumar, Sriram Prasanna Kumar, Dudekula Babu from Bestavaripeta, and Juturi Emmanuel, were friends who became addicted to alcohol and other vices, leading them to steal motorcycles for easy money. They would break the side locks, hot-wire the vehicles, and hide them in Bestavaripeta, Dattakonda, and Markapuram.
The investigation, led by Markapuram district SP V. Harshavardhan Raju, revealed that the gang stole 13 motorcycles from various locations between February 4, 2026, and August 13, 2026. The joint team that apprehended the gang was formed following specific directives from the SP after a spate of recent motorcycle thefts in the area.
