Criminal Suspects Use Lodges In Dharmapuri And Kondagattu As Hideouts

Private lodges in the pilgrimage centres of Dharmapuri and Kondagattu in the erstwhile Karimnagar district have become hideouts for criminal suspects, raising serious security concerns. Recent police operations, including a raid by a special police team from Hyderabad on June 24, have exposed how these lodging facilities are being used to evade law enforcement.

During the June 24 operation, special police teams from Hyderabad arrested a theft suspect from a lodge in Kondagattu. The police successfully seized Rs 10 lakh from the accused. This individual, along with two others, had allegedly stolen Rs 17 lakh that was meant to be deposited into an ATM in Hyderabad. Investigators revealed that the driver of the cash-in-transit vehicle was the one who planned the theft.

This arrest is part of a growing pattern of criminals seeking shelter in the region's pilgrimage destinations. Previously, on May 3, burglars involved in the PMJ jewellery robbery stayed at a private lodge in Dharmapuri for two days prior to committing the offence. The suspects vacated their room on the day of the robbery and travelled to Karimnagar town on motorcycles, deliberately using interior routes to avoid detection by CCTV cameras.

In another separate incident, police traced a suspect in a rape case, which had been reported from the Raikal mandal, to a lodge in Kondagattu. Officers subsequently took him into custody from the premises.

These repeated incidents have exposed lax security measures and poor identity verification processes by lodge operators in these pilgrimage areas. While operators do collect Aadhaar cards and other identity documents from guests, they conduct limited verification. In the PMJ jewellery case, the suspects were able to secure lodging by presenting fake Aadhaar cards.

Furthermore, unregistered lodges are reportedly operating within these pilgrimage centres. These unauthorized facilities rent out rooms at higher rates, allowing suspects to stay for extended periods without facing any effective scrutiny from local authorities.