Warangal Police Arrest Two Men, Recover 95g Gold in Chain-Snatching Bust

Kalyana Sundaram, 30, and Selvaraj, 28, both from Madurai, were arrested near Hanamkonda bus stand on April 1 after Warangal CCS and Hanamkonda police tracked their movement through surveillance. The pair had spent the previous month systematically targeting lone women across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, executing five gold chain snatchings and accumulating 95 grams of jewellery worth Rs 15.20 lakh before officers intercepted them.

Sundaram's route into the scheme ran through a ganja addiction, prior arrests for mobile phone and two-wheeler theft, and multiple stints in jail. After his last release, he worked briefly at a mobile phone shop in Warangal, where he met Selvaraj. The two arrived in the city with a straightforward plan: steal a motorcycle first, then use it to target women on the street. They lifted a two-wheeler under Mattewada police station limits and worked four jurisdictions in sequence: two snatchings in Subedari, one in Hanamkonda, one near Kakatiya University, and one robbery across the state line in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh. Commissioner of Police Sunpreet Singh, speaking to media in Hanamkonda, confirmed that Sundaram orchestrated the operation alongside Selvaraj to fund substance use and personal expenses.

Ninety-five grams across five victims averages roughly 19 grams per woman: the weight of a short necklace, a single chain, or a mangalsutra worn close to the collarbone. At current gold rates, each victim lost approximately Rs 3.04 lakh. Officers recovered the stolen motorcycle and two mobile phones alongside the seized ornaments.

The arrests were announced on Wednesday morning. By early afternoon, unidentified riders had snatched a three-tola gold chain from Dhanalakshmi, a daily-wage labourer near Karunya Hospital lane in Bapuji Nagar, Kazipet. The rider wore a helmet; the pillion rider covered his face with a scarf. Police registered a case and examined CCTV footage. The pattern persists regardless of any individual bust, which makes how gold is worn in public as urgent a consideration as the policing of it.

A chain fitted with a C-lock or secondary safety fastener does not release under the sideways yank that defines most motorcycle snatchings; standard spring-ring clasps offer almost no resistance. Chains heavier than 5mm in width require more grip time and force, which erodes the snatcher's primary advantage: speed. Layering a visible shorter piece over a higher-value chain worn underneath keeps the most expensive item out of immediate reach. High-quality imitation pieces in gold-tone vermeil or brass, worn in congested markets and on commutes, carry no material loss if grabbed. Tucking any chain inside a collar or dupatta removes the visual cue entirely.

If targeted, file an FIR at the nearest police station immediately, noting vehicle type, direction of flight, and time as precisely as possible. Most household insurance riders covering jewellery theft require a filed FIR within 24 hours of the incident. Photograph all jewellery and store the images in cloud backup before wearing pieces in public.

Sundaram and Selvaraj are in custody; the 95 grams of gold is recovered. The woman in Kazipet lost her chain on the same afternoon the bust was announced, which is reason enough not to treat any arrest as a reason to lower one's guard.