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Techie by day, burglar by night: Vizag software engineer led double life of luxury, nabbed for thefts across Andhra
The 27-year-old accused, identified as Achhi Mahesh Reddy, also known as Sunny, was taken into custody on Sunday.
A software engineer who allegedly led a double life, working in the tech sector by day and carrying out serial house break-ins by night, has now been arrested by the police in Visakhapatnam for a string of burglaries across Andhra Pradesh.
The 27-year-old accused, identified as Achhi Mahesh Reddy, also known as Sunny, was taken into custody on Sunday after months of investigation triggered by repeated complaints of nighttime thefts in the city.
Investigators were surprised to find that Sunny, a postgraduate who had previously worked with a reputed IT company in Hyderabad, was allegedly behind the thefts, according to an NDTV report. A native of Kakinada, Sunny was living in the Madhavadhara area of Visakhapatnam.
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26 break-ins and counting, ‘to fund lifestyle’
Despite his formal education and employment in the IT sector, police said he turned to crime to sustain an expensive lifestyle that included owning a luxury BMW car and travelling abroad multiple times.
Following his arrest, the Visakhapatnam police were able to crack 26 house break-in cases reported from different parts of the city, including the limits of Gajuwaka, Arilova, Malkapuram, Pendurthi and Duvvada.
In these cases, jewellery and cash worth approximately ₹24.66 lakh were stolen, including over 1,084 grams of gold, more than 6,300 grams of silver and ₹40,500 in cash.
During the arrest, police recovered about 699 grams of gold ornaments, 3.8 kg of silver ornaments; the luxury BMW vehicle allegedly purchased using stolen money; a scooter, and “burglary tools”. The recovered property was estimated to be worth over ₹15.63 lakh.
History of theft dating back to teenage years
According to police commissioner Shanka Brata Bagchi, Sunny had a history of theft dating back to his teenage years. At the age of 15, he was caught breaking into houses in the PM Palem area and was sent to a juvenile home.
After his release, he allegedly continued committing burglaries in and around Kakinada, Sarapavaram, Ramachandrapuram, Indrapalem and Rajahmundry, and later served 14 months in Rajahmundry Central Jail. Police records indicate that he was involved in more than 60 burglary cases across the state.
Investigators said Sunny used masks, caps and gloves, along with tools such as hammers, screwdrivers and drilling machines, to break into homes. He has been booked in all related cases, and police are preparing charges for prosecution as the investigation continues.
