U.S. returnee stages house break-in drama to cover up gold theft

A 32-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing gold ornaments of his family members and staging a house break-in to mislead the police and his relatives. The case was registered with the Chikkadpally police after he lodged a complaint claiming unknown persons had committed theft at his penthouse in Alekhya Estate on February 9.

The accused, Bhaskar Pramod Mula, 32, initially reported that unidentified persons trespassed into the house and stole one gold chain, six gold bangles, two gold rings, one silver plate weighing about 500 grams, and two silver bowls weighing about 60 grams.

During the course of investigation, police found inconsistencies in his version. “The accused completed B.Tech in 2014 and had gone to the United States for higher studies but discontinued and returned to India. He later stayed in Bengaluru for some time, where he allegedly took personal loans and used credit cards to maintain an expensive lifestyle,” said an officer.

Police said that since 2024 he had been stealing gold ornaments belonging to his grandmother and other family members. The stolen ornaments were mortgaged in different banks, through which he allegedly raised about ₹4.60 lakh.

Investigators said that when his elder brother’s marriage was fixed and the family discussed using the grandmother’s gold ornaments for the wedding, he panicked and decided to stage a theft to shift the blame. On February 9, he allegedly created a scene at the penthouse and informed the police around 10.30 p.m. through his brother, claiming that unknown offenders committed the theft.

Police said that prior to lodging the complaint, he had shifted some gold and silver items to another block in the same apartment complex where his family was staying. He also allegedly disposed of a few boxes and a lock by throwing them into a Musi river to make the incident appear genuine.

Following sustained questioning, police arrested him and recovered two gold rings weighing about three tolas, one silver plate, two silver bowls and three gold ornament mortgage receipts, covering about 80 grams of gold. The total value of the recovered property is estimated at around ₹12 lakh.