Notorious Thief Escapes From Police Custody

Hyderabad: A notorious thief accused in several burglary cases in Telangana and AP escaped on Monday from Suryapet police station where he was kept under custody.

Pala Venkateshwar Rao, who was undergoing a prison term in the Anantapur jail after being convicted in the sensational Kasimpet burglary case, was brought to Suryapet on Sunday in connection with another theft case. He was to be produced in a court in Suryapet. He was sentenced to imprisonment in the Kasimpet case in which he and his gang had looted a house after tying up all the members of the family.

The AR police personnel at Suryapet station found Venkateshwar Rao missing in the morning and launched a manhunt to nab him. He and his family members were sentenced to jail in theft cases on several previous occasions.

In view of his notoriety, the police were supposed to take extra cautions by placing him under a close vigil. However, it's learnt that Venkateshwar was kept in a normal cell just like other ordinary suspects. The police sent out four teams to search for the escaped thief in Hyderabad, Guntur and other likely places.