Hyderabad:
In a daring heist, a jewellery shop was looted in Panjagutta, a busy road in the heart of Hyderabad on Saturday. The police say a hole was made in the rear wall of the Tanishq showroom. The showroom reported that 30 kg of gold jewellery worth Rs 23 crore were stolen. Police however subsequently estimated that a little less than Rs 6 crore of jewellery was stolen.
A day later, in a dramatic twist, a man named Kiran, 23, came to a popular Telugu news channel and claimed he was behind the theft. He also said that he wants to surrender. The man also took a team from the news channel to his room in Rasoolpura - at a distance of 10 minutes from the scene of the crime - where a bag was recovered with the entire loot.
The police was called in and Kiran was arrested but not before he gave a television interview in which he claimed he carried out the heist just to grab attention. He said he is frustrated with the way politicians loot the country. "There is not much difference between me and a politician. I looted in one night, they loot over years. I am probably better," he said.
Kiran claimed that he carried out the entire loot alone but the CCTV footage, which the police are now examining, shows a man moving through the store with a distinct limp as though afflicted by Polio. Kiran has no limp but one of his roommates does. The footage also shows a screwdriver being exchanged between two men, which the police say counters Kiran's claims.
Kiran is from Epur in Guntur district and police say he has no history of crime. Those who know him say he always led an ordinary life. But police say the heist appears to be the job of a professional. For instance, the thieves sprinkled chili powder at the scene of crime to ensure sniffer dogs don't catch a scent. They also used gloves, polythene bags on their footwear and also mask to ensure they leave foot or fingerprints. They also put off the light, so the CCTV would not catch the details.
Police say the burglars developed cold feet and Kiran, along with his cousin Anand had committed the crime because Kiran wanted to become a pilot for which he needed 15 lakh rupees and Anand wanted money for polio-related treatment. Anand is still missing with a small quantity of gold.
For now, the relief is that most of the loot has been recovered.