Thief Who Wore Burqa to Elude CCTV Cameras Betrayed by his Limp

He is now in the clutches of police, having stolen gold weighing 440 gm and Rs 30,000 cash his employer’s house.

A Snip from the CCTV Footage

HYDERABAD: A 28-year-old Hyderabad man who decided to burgle his boss’ house and wore a burqa, gloves and socks to elude the surveillance cameras in the latter’s apartment complex, got caught anyway.

His distinctive limp gave him away.

He is now in the clutches of the Hyderabad police, having stolen gold weighing 440 gm and Rs 30,000 cash his employer’s house.

Police said Omprakash Anurag was a high-school dropout who worked for a company named Corporate Bounteez, which supplies gift articles to corporate offices, during 2009-11. His employer Srikanth lived with his wife at A-Block of Express Apartments in the Lakdikapool locality of Hyderabad and ran his business from B-Block of the same complex.

Given the close proximity of his boss’ house, Anurag  noticed that Srikant’s wife was a government servant and therefore their apartment was locked from 10.30 am to 5 pm. 

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) V B Kamalasan Reddy said Anurag was hard up for money and decided to break into his employer’s apartment.  He made an elaborate plan. He first stole the key to the Srikant’s living quarters and went on leave from April 7.

As he knew that Express Apartments was constant CCTV surveillance, he bought a burqa, gloves, scarf and socks, planning to give no clue to his identity. If he should be surprised by anyone while carrying out the burglary, he stuffed his pocked with chilli powder, which he would throw into the eyes of any who challenged him.

Plans completed, he went to the apartment complex on April 26, covered head to toe. He entered the apartment unnoticed and bagged all the gold ornaments and cash he could find. He walked out, flagged an auto and went away. 

The CCTV cameras showed a woman in a burqa going up to Srikant’s apartment and leaving in an auto. While there were clues to the break-in in the apartment, police noticed that the black-clad figure walked with a limp. Srikant remembered that one of his employees had such a limp, the result of an accident. Police called in Anurag for questioning and the latter confessed.