In a quick succession after a theft case was reported at the Nathavaram police station, the police arrested the accused and recovered the ₹5.6 lakh worth stolen property within three hours in Anakapalli district on Friday.The arrested was identified as P. Chittibabu, 32, of Sringavaram village in Nathavaram.According to the police, the incident took place during a wedding ceremony at Sringavaram village. S Ramanamma, a member of the bride’s family, had kept ₹5 lakh in cash, some gold, a mobile phone and a saree in a bag for wedding expenses.At around 3.30 a.m. on Friday, the bag was being held by her elder sister, S. Rajini, near the wedding venue. The accused, Mr. Chittibabu allegedly approached the venue, pushed Ms. Rajini to the ground and forcibly snatched the bag before fleeing from the spot.The victims immediately contacted the 112 emergency response number without any delay. Acting on the alert from the control room, beat police personnel Mahesh and Head Constable Sanjeev reached the spot within minutes and alerted senior officers.Following instructions from DSP Narsipatnam Sub-Division P. Srinivasa Rao, Narsipatnam Rural Circle Inspector Revathamma and Natavaram Sub-Inspector Y. Tarakeswara Rao formed special teams and launched a search operation. Based on credible information, the police tracked down the accused in the village outskirts. They recovered the stolen bag containing all the property. Published - July 03, 2026 07:45 pm IST