Police arrest man for multiple thefts, recover valuables worth ₹1.36 crore

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Prakasam District Superintendent of Police V. Harshavardhan Raju and other officials display the valuables recovered from the accused held for multiple thefts in Ongole on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: KOMMURI SRINIVAS

Police arrested a 38-year-old man for his reported involvement in a series of thefts across multiple cities, in Ongole on Tuesday. The police also recovered gold jewellery, cash and a car worth a total value of ₹1.36 crore from his possession.

According to the police, the accused has been identified as Sohail Khan alias Mohammad Sameer Khan, a native of Bengaluru North in Karnataka, but presently residing at Chandrayangutta in Hyderabad of Telangana.

Addressing the media, Prakasam District Superintendent of Police (SP) V. Harshavardhan Raju revealed the modus operandi of the accused. “Sohail Khan has committed several thefts to lead a lavish lifestyle. He was engaged in betting and gambling using stolen cash. To evade police detection, he steals mobile phones belonging to others and purchases two-wheelers on online classified platforms using those SIM cards,” the SP said.

“He then travels to various locations on these vehicles and targets locked houses, commits thefts, and sells the stolen valuables. He takes the stolen gold jewellery to his rented house at Shaheen Nagar in Hyderabad, melts it down using his own equipment, and sell it at jewellery stores to convert it into cash,” the SP explained.

On August 5, 2026, the accused travelled from Hyderabad to Ongole on a motorcycle that was purchased through an e-commerce website. He committed thefts at two houses, one at Andhra Kesari Nagar in Ongole and another at Samatha Nagar, on the same evening. Meanwhile, cases were registered at the Ongole Taluka police station.

Acting on the orders of the SP, special teams were formed to conduct an investigation. By analysing the nature of the cases and correlating CCTV footage, technical evidence, vehicle movements, and field-level information, they identified the accused.

On Tuesday, the accused was reportedly travelling to Ongole to commit more thefts. Police spotted him while conducting vehicle checks opposite Alas Hotel on South Bypass. He then turned his vehicle around and attempted to flee, however, police caught him and took him into the custody.

The investigation revealed that the accused had previously committed multiple thefts in various locations, including Narasaraopet, Mylavaram, Nuzvid, Vinukonda, Penugonda and Ongole. Cases had been registered against him in both Karnataka and Telangana.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.