Date:27/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/27/stories/2008072757760300.htm

Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada

Security will be tightened in public places, says CP

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: The series of bomb blasts witnessed in different cities across the country has spurred the city police to initiate measures to prevent occurrence of such incidents in the city. Police Commissioner K.V. Rajendranath Reddy said on Saturday people would, henceforth, be allowed into cinema theatres, shopping malls and public parks only after a thorough frisking of their belongings.

“We are conducting meetings with the managements of cinema theatres and shopping malls. Since it is a sensitive issue, we are seeking the support of the public. This exercise will help us prevent untoward incidents,” he said at a press conference, which was conducted to announce the arrest of seven offenders in connection with different cases. Mr. Reddy said a five-member gang from Orissa was arrested on charge of deceiving public by posing as policemen. The arrested were: Khan Jaman, 35, Sadik Hussain, 25, Abid Hussain, 20, Tajdar Ali, 29 and Javed Ali, 26. They were charged with stealing gold jewellery from an aged woman in Two-Town and Rs. 30,000 cash from S. Basaveswara Rao in Governorpet. The police recovered gold chain and Rs. 15,000 cash from the accused.

On the charge of snatching gold chains from women travelling alone, the police arrested Datla Seetarama Raju, 48, of Guruvayigudem in West Godavari district. He was charged with snatching two chains in Satyanarayanapuram area in the recent past. He had undergone imprisonment for eight years for committing thefts in places like Guntur, Nellore, Chittoor, Anantapur and Adilabad. The Satyanarayanapuram police recovered from him gold jewellery estimated to cost about Rs. 50,000.

In another case, Dorapalli Kamalakar, 31, of Lambadipet near Chitti Nagar was arrested on charge of stealing mobile phones. The police recovered 32 mobile phones, worth about Rs. 1 lakh. Kamalakar, against whom a non-bailable warrant was in pending, was charged with stealing mobile phones from the public in the city and on the outskirts. Mr. Reddy advised people not to fall prey to such elements and be extra careful while dealing with people, who introduced themselves as police.