Superthief Bunty out of jail and out of luck

How have the mighty fallen!

Superthief Bunty (37), who once drove Mercedes cars and whose exploits inspired the hit film Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye, found himself a homeless man on his release after a three-year jail stint last week.

He finally turned to Rajinder Singh, the very police officer who had captured him twice in the past, for shelter.

“I went to my parents’ address, but I found they no longer stayed there,” he told HT. “I contacted my brother, but he said my family did not want me in their lives anymore. I have no option but to stay with the Inspector. His home is mine for the time being.”

In his heyday, Bunty carried out more than 500 burglaries across Delhi and other cities. He built a reputation for stealing not merely cash, jewellery and electronic items — the stuff thieves usually take — but whatever caught his eye inside a house — including flowerpots, golf kits and walking sticks. He even carried away greeting cards, photo frames and toys!

Homeless and penniless — though he never reveals just where all the money he made from his stolen goods went — he has a new plan to rebuild his life. And it involves Dibakar Banerjee, the director of Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye. “That man who made crores using my life as source material owes me compensation,” he said. “I could open a shop to repair air-conditioners if I had some money.”

Bunty’s Plan B? “If I can get a passport I would move to either Japan or London and drive a taxi there.”