Visakhapatnam: In a stunning case, a 27-year-old former techie was arrested on Sunday for allegedly carrying out a series of house break-ins in Vizag and other parts of Andhra Pradesh to fund a lavish lifestyle.
The young man even purchased a BMW car and travelled abroad on multiple occasions with the proceeds of his crimes, the police claimed.
The man, identified as Achhi Mahesh Reddy, alias Sunny, was arrested after months of investigation and chase, the police said, as reported by NDTV.
The police had been receiving regular nighttime burglary complaints for months. Investigators were shocked when they came to know that Sunny, a postgraduate who once worked with a reputed IT company in Hyderabad, had committed the crimes.
Originally from Kakinada, Sunny was living in the Madhavadhara area of Vizag. Despite his formal education and job in the IT sector, he got into cri
me to support an expensive lifestyle.
After his arrest, the Vizag police cracked 26 house break-in cases in different parts of the city, including Gajuwaka, Arilova, Malkapuram, Pendurthi and Duvvada limits.
In these cases, jewellery and cash worth nearly Rs 24.66 lakh, including over 1,084 grams of gold, more than 6,300 grams of silver and Rs 40,500 in cash, were stolen.
After his arrest, the police reportedly recovered about 699 grams of gold ornaments and 3.8 kg of silver ornaments, the luxury BMW vehicle purchased with stolen money, an unnumbered scooter and burglary tools. The recovered items were valued at over Rs 15.63 lakh.
Sunny apparently started stealing from a young age, Visakhapattanam Commissioner of Police Shanka Brata Bagchi claimed. At the age of 15, he was allegedly caught breaking into houses in the PM Palem area and sent to a juvenile home.
After his release, he continued committing burglaries in and around Kakinada, Sarapavaram, Ramachandrapuram, Indrapalem and Rajahmundry, and served 14 months in Rajahmundry Central Jail. Police records reveal he was involved in more than 60 burglaries across the state.
Sunny used masks, caps, gloves and tools like hammers, screwdrivers and drilling machines to break into homes, investigators said.