HYDERABAD: With just one fingerprint to go on, sheer dedication and hard work, coupled with great big dollops of luck helped Cyberabad sleuths nab four members of an interstate gang of house burglars while the kingpin and six others remain at large.
Over the course of their investigation, the police found that the Madhya Pradesh-based gang of 11 took turns to travel to Hyderabad where, carrying heavy cutters, rods and screwdrivers, they would target independent houses and villas.
Between 2018 and 2022, the gang was involved in 98 house burglary offences reported in Telangana, including 68 in Cyberabad Commissionerate limits. A detailed study revealed that the gang had a quirky side too -- its members would consume 10 beers before breaking into a house, and use public transport to move around.
In the duration of these four years, the gang members left no clue behind, save for a fingerprint. Painstakingly tallying the fingerprint with their database, the sleuths found that it belonged to one Kishan Singh. Kishan was arrested in the year 2021 by Petbasheerabad police and during his interrogation, his fingerprint was taken and tallied with a previous property offence case.
Tracing Kishan’s antecedents, the sleuths landed in Madhya Pradesh but it was like running into a brick wall as there was no cooperation from the local police. They persevered for one-and-a-half years, staying there for two weeks each time.
A visit to a tanda for inquiry resulted in a close shave for the sleuths as the locals got angered. “With close connections between the MP police and the locals, investigation was difficult for our teams,” said Cyberabad Police Commissioner Stephen Raveendra.
Fortunately for the sleuths, help came in the form of a recommendation from a senior official, leading to the identification of the other members of the gang.Based on these inputs, Mann Singh, Mohabbat, Prem Singh and Kishan Singh were arrested by Alwal, Dundigal and Petbasheerabad police.
Police also identified the receivers of the stolen property in Madhya Pradesh and will be sending teams soon to take up the recovery process legally. According to the police, the gang was involved in 68 cases in Cyberabad, 10 cases in Nizamabad, two in Karimnagar, six in Warangal, nine in Jagtial, two in Kamareddy and one case in Siddipet.
Police findings
11-member gang took turns to travel to Hyderabad where they targeted independent houses and villas
Between 2018 and 2022, the gang was involved in 98 house burglary offences reported in Telangana
Members would consume 10 beers before breaking into a house & use public transport