The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Car-borne `Robin Hood' targets only swank houses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 28, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Car-borne `Robin Hood' targets only swank houses

Staff Reporter

Murthy has broken into 1,000 houses in 25 years and distributes 30 per cent of the booty among the poor and street children

HYDERABAD: Breaking into 1,000 houses in a span of 25 years is only one of the several records 45-year-old P.S. Murthy holds. This modern Robin Hood, most wanted by the State police, also has a peculiar habit of distributing 30 per cent of the booty among the poor and street children.

The Cyberabad police rounded up the multi-faceted Murthy, who moves in a car, wearing branded clothes and claiming to be a financier, commits house-burglaries by night.

"There are too many peculiarities about this man arrested four times earlier and convicted for some offences. For example, he targets only rich houses," Cyberabad Crime DCP Sowmya Mishra said.

Even more interesting is his goal. "I want to build a home for orphans since I am an orphan," he told reporters. Murthy claimed that he had some money and required Rs. 30 lakhs more but police nabbed him before could break into more houses. He said that he would continue to commit burglaries after coming out from jail! "This time, may be, I'll go to Mumbai and Bangalore," he said.

Brazen claims

Asked if he was not feeling guilty of being a thief, he said "When politicians involved in crimes are not ashamed of it why should I be?"

Originally from Tamil Nadu, Murthy came to Vijayawada at the age of 11years. Details about his parents are not known but he began committing property offences at the age of 20. He was arrested by the police in Rajahmandry, Tirupati, Vijayawada and Guntur earlier.

The strangeness about Murthy is that if the police arrests him, he leaves the area after coming out from jail, goes to another town or city at least 200 km away, settles there and commits offences. He shifted to Hyderabad six years ago and had been living at Miyapur, Chandanagar and BHEL colony with his family.

Another fad is his lavish lifestyle. "He would wear mostly branded clothes to mislead people that he hails from a rich family and sometimes would spend Rs. 50,000 a day to satiate his desires," the DCP explained.

Sources said Murthy had a fascination for television and movie stars and used to spend lot of money to `see them.' However, police did not confirm this.

While living at Miyapur, he reportedly moved around with a couple of policemen. Taking him for an elderly man, the local people in some cases even invited him to settle their disputes, it is learnt.

He confessed to have committed 200 house burglaries during his stay at Hyderabad in the past six years, including 45 offences this year.

Murthy had four cars for his personal use. Some time ago, he abandoned a car at Nuzvid after learning that the police were checking vehicles. A lot of gold, silver, Malaysian and Bangladeshi currency was seized from the vehicle then.

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