ICICI Bank employee from Chennai tries hand at theft in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD:  Karthik Raj is 26 years old and works with ICICI Bank in Chennai. But unlike most youngsters in white-collar job, Karthik decided to take a detour into the world of crime to "meet the expenses of his two girl friends and his ailing father."

Son of an Army veteran, Karthik used to earn Rs 18,000 per month. Unable to meet his needs with that amount, the youngster hatched a plan to make his debut into the dark side of the alley.

According to Banjara Hills police, who arrested Karthik on Tuesday, the youngster did a Google search for richest people in Hyderabad, came to the city and attempted to burgle the house of a techie here.

Based on his internet search, he identified three posh locations in Hyderabad -- Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Madhapur. He travelled to the city in the third week of March to conduct a recce and zeroed in on a house at Road Number 3, Banjara Hills.

During wee hours of April 9, Karthik entered the house of Vamshi, who works as a techie in the city, through an open window. However, while opening the cupboard, Vamshi's wife woke up and raised alarm. But the accused managed to escape from the spot.

Police analysed CCTV footages and collected descriptions of the suspect and formed a special team to nab the accused. To their luck, on April 15 police noticed Karthik loitering outside a supermarket in Srinagar Colony and caught him.

Cops recovered his employee ID, mask, gloves, knife and bus tickets from his possession. After a failed attempt, the accused was allegedly planning another burglary in the city.