Hyderabad techie arrested for burglaries during night, gold, silver recovered
Visakhapatnam (PTI): A Hyderabad-based software professional was arrested for his alleged involvement in 26 night-time burglaries from houses, a police official said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Acchi Mahesh Reddy alias Sunny from Kakinada, allegedly carried out a series of offences after the Sankranti festival and had committed similar crimes last year as well, police said.
"We (Vizag police) have arrested a Hyderabad-based software professional on February 7 for his involvement in 26 night-time house burglaries and recovered gold, silver, and other stolen property worth over Rs 15 lakh," Vizag Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crimes) K Lata Madhuri told PTI.
Acting on technical evidence and CCTV analysis, police arrested the accused near Arch Road in Gajuwaka and recovered 699 grams of gold, 3.8 kg of silver, a BMW car purchased with stolen money, and house-breaking tools.
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The accused smartly ensured that he did not leave fingerprints or any other evidence at the crime scene, Madhuri said.
The DCP said the offender targeted houses during night hours and is suspected to have conducted recce during the daytime, though he has not admitted to it so far.
Police also found that the two-wheeler used for the offences belonged to a person named Mahesh, who was unaware that his vehicle was being used for robberies.
The case came to light after a resident of Gajuwaka lodged a complaint on October 14, 2025, stating that his house was burgled while he was away with his family.
Based on the complaint, Gajuwaka police registered a case under sections 331(4) and 305(a) of the BNS and launched an investigation.
Madhuri said similar thefts were reported in Gajuwaka, Arilova, Malkapuram, Pendurthi, and Duvvada areas, linking the accused to 26 cases within Visakhapatnam city.
In these cases, over 1,080 grams of gold, nearly 6,333 grams of silver, and cash worth Rs 40,500 were stolen, with the cumulative value estimated at about Rs 25 lakh.
The DCP said the accused had a long criminal history and first went to a juvenile jail at the age of 15 in Kakinada, where a Dossier Criminal (DC) sheet was opened against him.
"We will open a rowdy sheet against him here as a DC sheet already exists in Kakinada. For now, he has been placed under preventive detention for one year," the DCP said.
Police also suspect that the accused's mother may have a criminal background, which is yet to be ascertained, she said.
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Women''s Bill: Stalin says proposal amid polls raises suspicion; backs 33 per cent reservation
Chennai (PTI): Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday alleged that the proposed amendment to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women in the midst of polls in states including Tamil Nadu appeared to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives.
Stalin alleged the timing for the proposed amendment led to serious suspicion.
"Why push such a far-reaching decision in the middle of state elections. This appears to be yet another political manoeuvre aimed at shaping electoral narratives, much like earlier attempts to influence women voters ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections," he alleged in a statement titled "This is not reform, this is reengineering power."
Further, he said: "Let me be unequivocal: we strongly support 33 per cent reservation for women. Our support is absolute. But it must be implemented without increasing seats and without punishing states that acted responsibly. If the intent is genuine, nothing prevents immediate implementation within the existing framework."
Demanding fair delimitation, he alleged there was complete opacity on the basis for delimitation and asked would the exercise rely on 1971 figures from a pre–population control era or the 2021 Census. "Conflicting signals and vague assurances only deepen suspicion." This move would also impose a massive financial burden on states, forcing them to expand or rebuild Legislative Assemblies, all without proper consultation.
"This is a direct assault on cooperative federalism. This is not reform, it is a unilateral, politically driven exercise designed to concentrate power, weaken Parliament, marginalise the South, and undermine social justice," he alleged. "The nation deserves answers: why this undue haste, why shift the goalposts, and who truly stands to benefit."
The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is systematically eroding the very foundations of Parliament, he alleged.
The Dravidian party chief claimed: "What should be a vibrant forum for debate and accountability is being reduced to a hollow ritual, a stage where members may not even get fair time to speak or represent their people. This proposal to increase seats is a direct contradiction of their own slogan of minimum government, maximum governance. It will only inflate expenditure, burden taxpayers, and dilute the quality of parliamentary functioning."
This also went against the spirit of Article 1 of the Constitution, which defines India as a Union of States. Ignoring the voices of states and bypassing meaningful consultation is not democratic - it is unitary overreach that undermines the country's federal and plural character.
More alarmingly, this exercise will blatantly skew representation and tilt the balance of power in favour of northern states dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party, while silencing the voice of south India, he claimed.
"As forcefully pointed out by veteran leader Siddaramaiah (Karnataka CM), this is not a neutral exercise; it is a calculated political restructuring. Northern states stand to gain nearly double the (Parliamentary) seats, while the South’s share stagnates at around 24 per cent. This is nothing short of penalising states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Telangana for their success in population control."
Chief Ministers across the South, including Siddaramaiah, Pinarayi Vijayan and A Revanth Reddy have rightly warned that this move will distort federalism and concentrate power in a few regions, the DMK president alleged.
PM Modi said on Thursday that the proposed amendments to the Women Reservation Act are not just a legislative exercise but a reflection of the aspirations of crores of women across India and urged all MPs to come together to support this significant move.
He had last week announced an extension of the Budget session of Parliament by three days, from April 16 to 18, so that the Women's Reservation Act can be amended for its implementation from 2029.
