KHAMMAM: He preferred five-star suites, luxury cars and scenic vacations, but there was just one minor glitch: his income came from other people’s lockers. Meet Mikkili Vamsikrishna alias Sam Richard (42), a self-styled connoisseur of comfort, whose chosen profession was burglary with benefits.
Khammam Town ACP Ramana Murthy, who briefed the press on Saturday, said that Vamsikrishna’s journey from small-town dreamer to full-time “entrepreneur” in theft reads like a crime soap screenplay.
Originally from Vetapalem village in Guntur district, he left home at 17 in pursuit of a grand life in Hyderabad. The xerox shop he joined didn’t quite match his vision of luxury. He turned to burglary to realise his “vision.”
His work portfolio included neighbourhoods like LB Nagar, Saroornagar, SR Nagar, Kukatpally, Jeedimetla, and Narsingi, where he specialised in breaking into houses. The police, too, kept him on their guest list, booking and rebooking him for his repeat offences.
After each prison stint, Vamsikrishna returned to his chosen lifestyle and funded five-star stays in Bengaluru, Goa and Hyderabad with the spoils.
Once Hyderabad police began recognising his travel pattern, he shifted base to Vijayawada and Khammam, continuing his “pan-India burglary tour”. In Khammam, he is suspected to have committed around 20 burglaries in various localities, including Khanapuram Haveli, Khammam I Town, II Town, and III Town, Rural, Nelakondapalli, Kusumanchi, and Wyra.
His grand run ended, rather unceremoniously, at a police checkpoint near SR Gardens on Friday evening. Officers stopped his car; he tried to stage a quick getaway but was promptly caught.
Police recovered 452 grams of gold ornaments and a car worth Rs 15 lakh, totalling Rs 66 lakh. Vamsikrishna’s next stay promises to be fully funded too. Except this time, room service will come in khaki.