A man accused of carrying out dozens of house burglaries across Telangana allegedly used the proceeds of the crime to fund charity in his native village, sponsor holidays for friends and maintain a lavish lifestyle, according to Vikarabad police, who arrested him in connection with a recent burglary case.
A burglary investigation in Manikanta Nagar Colony in Vikarabad led to the arrest of Vikas Singh Takoor alias Teja Singh, a native of Uttar Pradesh. On May 1, gold ornaments weighing 1.5 tolas and ₹2.1 lakh in cash were stolen from a locked house in Vikarabad.
Vikarabad Superintendent of Police Sneha Mehra said that Vikas Singh lived in Sangareddy district and posed as a daily wage labourer while scouting for locked houses at night. A special team tracked him through technical evidence, surveillance inputs and CCTV footage before apprehending him near the Vikarabad railway station.
A weapon and some jewellery seized from the accused. | Photo Credit: Handout
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to 27 burglaries committed after his release from prison on June 26, 2024, across Vikarabad, Medak, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri Commissionerate limits. Police said he admitted to stealing 157 tolas of gold, 256 tolas of silver and ₹8.22 lakh in cash.
Investigators said Vikas Singh began committing burglaries at the age of 16 and had already been arrested in 34 cases earlier. With the latest confessions, the number of cases linked to him has risen to 61.
“The accused spent part of the proceeds on air travel, luxury hotel stays and leisure trips. He also allegedly created a charitable image in his native village through an NGO called ‘Helping Hands’, distributing school bags and notebooks to students and sponsoring trips for friends to Chennai, Goa, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Bengaluru, Rajasthan and Dehradun,” said the SP.
The investigation also uncovered the involvement of four gold traders from Sultanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Police said the accused sold stolen gold through his mother to the traders, who allegedly encouraged him to continue committing burglaries and provided advance money whenever he faced financial difficulties.
Investigators further alleged that when the accused considered giving up crime, the traders collectively gave him ₹40,000 and encouraged him to purchase an illegal firearm. A 5 mm pistol and the stolen gold ornaments have been recovered.
“The accused now faces a total of 61 criminal cases, including 34 previous cases and 27 offences he confessed to committing after his release from prison. We are taking action not only against the burglar but also against those who allegedly encouraged and supported his criminal activities,” the officer added.
She said cases were being registered against the suspected receivers of stolen property under provisions related to organised crime, Arms Act violations and other relevant laws. Preventive detention proceedings would also be considered if necessary.
Published - June 04, 2026 08:04 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
