Hyderabad: Police arrested a chain-snatching accused within 24 hours of the crime and recovered the stolen gold chains, authorities said on Tuesday. The accused, D. Rajesh, 32, a resident of Gopinagar, Lingampally, Ranga Reddy District, allegedly targeted elderly women in two separate incidents on January 31.

The first victim, a 72-year-old woman, was returning home via Ramalayam Temple Road, Old MIG Colony, BHEL, when her gold chain was snatched at around 12:40 p.m. Shortly after, a 73-year-old woman fell prey to a similar attack nearby.

Chandanagar Police, with the support of CCS, Serilingampally Zone, and SOT Cyberabad teams, acted swiftly on the complaints. Using available clues, the suspect was traced and apprehended within a day, and the stolen property was recovered intact.

The operation was supervised by DCP Serilingampally Zone Ch. Srinivas, DCP SOT Shoban Kumar, and DCP Crimes Muthyam Reddy, under the guidance of Addl. DCP Serilingampally Zone Uday Reddy. Police praised the coordinated effort for the quick resolution.