Hyderabad: Police Crack Footwear Theft Case, Arrest Couple For Stealing 1,000 Pairs From Over 100 Houses

The police investigations uncovered that over the past two months, around 1000 pairs of footwear had vanished from nearly 100 houses in the area.

After a thief was caught stealing shoes and slippers from residences of Ramantapur's Vasavi Nagar, a web of robberies and those linked to it came to light. Unlike normal robberies involving goods such as gold or money, a couple had allegedly robbed footwear left outside residences.

The theft had allegedly been ongoing for a while now but the spree came to light after Mallesh Renuka, a resident of Vasavi Nagar, reported about his shoes missing to the police.

Following his complaint, the police found out that over the past two months, around 1000 pairs of shoes had robbed from nearly 100 houses in the area.

100 Houses, 1000 Pairs Of Missing Shoes 

The modus operandi was found after local residents kept a close watch for four days determined to put an end to the thefts. Finally, their efforts paid off when they caught the thief in the act and handed him over to the Uppal police.

During questioning, the police discovered that the thief had been selling the footwear in order to sell it at markets. The accused reportedly sold the stolen footwear for a mere Rs 100 to Rs 200 per pair in weekly markets at Erragadda and Borabanda.

The investigation also revealed the involvement of the his wife in the crime. When called in for questioning, the wife allegedly created a ruckus at the police station.

The Uppal police have registered a case against the couple who are suspected of carrying out similar thefts in neighbouring areas, including Sri Nagar Colony, Bharat Nagar, and surrounding localities. While locals initially raided the suspects' house out of suspicion, the couple had denied any wrongdoing. However, the police arrested the couple on Thursday.

Further investigation is underway to determine the extent of their operations and recover the stolen footwear.