Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 29 (ANI): The Hyderabad police on Tuesday arrested a habitual pickpocket and recovered gold ornaments weighing 343 grams, worth about Rs 18.5 lakh from him. Six of his gang members are absconding, the police said.

The accused has been identified as KS Makkan alias Kasab Makka, a resident of Mallepally in Hyderabad.

The police further said that along with KS Makkan, the police arrested one Praveen Ramesh Verma, a receiver of the stolen chains.

"Makkan is allegedly involved in 37 theft cases in police stations across Hyderabad and Cyberabad police jurisdictions between 2009 and 2023," the police said.

According to the police, the accused committed theft of Gold chains from the passengers boarded in RTC buses.

The police recovered 343 Gms of Gold chains worth Rs18.5 lakhs from the accused.

The other absconding accused are Bhola, Mannan, Sikander, Hira, Bakri Sikinder and Khadeer.

"The prime accused K S Makkan and his associates Bhola, Mannan, Sikander, Hira, Bakri Sikinder, and Khadeer formed a gang and started committing property offences, initially they used to commit theft of wallets from the victims who are in the line in cinema theatres, over a period of time the earnings are not sufficient to their lavish expenditures, so they hatched a plan to commit theft of gold chains from the passengers boarded in RTC Buses," DCP, East Zone of Hyderabad City Police Sunil Dutt said.

The police further said that they have committed 20 offences in various Police Station limits of Hyderabad and Cyberabad Commissionerates.

The police arrested the accused in Begumbazar when he came to sell the Gold Chains. Praveen Ramesh Varma was arrested in Shahalibanda. (ANI)