Techie's "Lavish Lifestyle" Funded By 60 Robberies Across Andhra Pradesh

A 27-year-old former IT professional who allegedly carried out a series of house break-ins across Visakhapatnam and other parts of Andhra Pradesh to fund a lavish lifestyle was arrested on Sunday. 

The police arrested the man, identified as Achhi Mahesh Reddy, also known as Sunny, after months of investigation and chase after police received repeated nighttime burglary complaints. 

Investigators were shocked when they found that Sunny, a postgraduate who once worked with a reputed IT company in Hyderabad, had been behind all the theft. Sunny, who hails from Kakinada, was living in the Madhavadhara area of Vizag, and despite his formal education and job in the IT sector, police say he got into crime to support an expensive life that included owning a luxury BMW car and travelling abroad multiple times. 

Now, 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, thieves stole jewellery and cash valued at roughly Rs 24.66 lakh, including over 1,084 grams of gold, more than 6,300 grams of silver and Rs 40,500 in cash.  

During his arrest, the police 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. 

All recovered property was estimated to be worth over Rs 15.63 lakh.  

According to Visakhapattanam Commissioner of Police Shanka Brata Bagchi, Sunny had a history of theft from his teens. At age 15, he was caught breaking into houses in the PM Palem area and was 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 suggest he was involved in more than 60 burglary cases across the state.  

Investigators say Sunny used masks, caps, gloves and tools like hammers, screwdrivers and drilling machines to break into homes. The police have booked him in all related cases and are preparing charges for prosecution as the probe continues.