Hyderabad police arrested a 25-year-old woman for allegedly committing multiple house burglaries while disguised in a burqa. The accused used a hand-cutting machine to break locks and learned her house-breaking techniques from online videos. Authorities recovered stolen gold, silver, and cash worth approximately Rs 70 lakh from her possession.
A 25-year-old woman was arrested by Hyderabad police for her suspected involvement in five house burglary cases across the city and neighbouring areas. The accused, identified as Paga Jaya, allegedly wore a burqa to conceal her identity and used a hand-cutting machine to break house locks before stealing gold, silver ornaments and cash.
Uppal police recovered around 48 tolas (560 grams) of gold, 1.5 kg of silver articles, cash and an iPhone 17 from her possession. The total value of the recovered property is estimated at around Rs 70 lakh. During the police inquiry, it was revealed that Jaya had picked properties where the inhabitants were away and targeted them during their absence. It is stated that she had a hand held cutting machine in a rucksack with which she broke the main door locks and cabinets.
She donned gloves, a veil and other items to evade residents and CCTV cameras, police said. Reports said she had studied house-breaking skills from movies on the internet. The case for which she was arrested was reported at the house of Gangam Bhaskar Reddy (55) in New Bharat Nagar Colony under the Uppal police station boundaries.
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On October 26, Reddy along with his family sealed their house and departed for Sri Mallanna Swamy Temple in Komuravelli. The accused used the absence of the victims and broke the lock of the door and entered the residence.
She allegedly smashed open drawers in the master bedroom and children's bedroom and fled with gold decorations, silver objects and some cash. The crime came to light on October 27, when the domestic assistance of the family came to the residence and saw that the locks were broken. She informed the family and Reddy came back and filed a case with the Uppal police. Police lodged a case under Sections 331(4) and 305(a) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and started an inquiry.
How Did Police Identify The Accused?
During the course of the inquiry, officers studied CCTV video of the locality and the adjacent surroundings. Footage shows a woman wearing a black burqa and gloves, carrying a bright blue bag. She was spotted at the targeted premises, wandering about and trying to breach the locks.
Police identified the culprit as Paga Jaya using CCTV video, technological evidence and surveillance. A joint team of Uppal police and Central Crime Station (CCS), Uppal squad nabbed her at LB Nagar route bus stop at Uppal X Roads around 8 am on October 31.
During interrogation, Jaya was said to have admitted to taking part in a string of house burglaries. Police suspect her participation in five crimes reported within the jurisdictions of Uppal, Medipally and Jagathgirigutta police stations in addition to Bhadradri Kothagudem II Town police station.
Learnt Techniques Through Online Videos
According to the police, Jaya is a native of Palvancha in Bhadradri Kothagudem district and was living in New Bharat Nagar Colony in Uppal. For economical reasons, she had to stop her BTech studies in first year at Anubose College, Kothagudem. She shifted to Hyderabad in 2023 and got married to Gogulothu Sivakumar in 2024.
Investigators discovered she had learned house-breaking tactics on the internet. After seeing homes while the occupants were away, she would plan the burglaries and use equipment to break locks and get inside.
Police also believe she sold or pledged some of the stolen jewelry and utilized the money for personal needs.
