Bengaluru, Feb 4 (IANS): Bengaluru Police have arrested a thief who built a Rs 3 crore house for his girlfriend using money he robbed.
The accused has been identified as 37-year-old Panchakshari Swamy. Police have also revealed that he had connections with a well-known film actress.
According to police sources, Madivala Police in Bengaluru put an end to a long run of criminal activities. The accused, Panchakshari Swamy, hails from Solapur in Maharashtra. Despite being married and having a child, he was known for his womanising ways.
Investigations revealed that Swamy began committing burglaries in 2003 when he was still a minor. By 2009, he had become a professional thief, amassing wealth worth crores through his crimes. In 2014-15, he came into contact with a famous actress and developed a romantic relationship with her.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had spent crores on the actress. He also built a Rs 3 crore house in Kolkata and gifted her an aquarium worth Rs 22 lakh.
In 2016, Swamy was arrested by Gujarat Police and sentenced to six years in prison. After being released from Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad, he returned to burglary. He was later arrested by Maharashtra Police for similar crimes. Once released in 2024, he shifted his base to Bengaluru, where he resumed house burglaries and thefts.
On January 9, he burgled a house in the Madivala locality of Bengaluru. After gathering intelligence, police arrested him near the Madivala market area. During interrogation, he admitted to committing crimes in Bengaluru along with an associate.
Police have seized an iron rod and a fire gun, which he used to melt stolen gold and convert it into gold biscuits. Swamy revealed that he stored all the gold and silver biscuits made from stolen jewellery at his residence in Solapur, Maharashtra.
Authorities have confiscated 181 grams of gold biscuits, 333 grams of silver articles, and the fire gun used for melting jewellery.
Investigators also discovered that after committing crimes, Swamy would change his clothes on the road to avoid suspicion.
He held a black belt in karate. Following his father’s death, his mother received a compensatory job in the railway department. The investigation further revealed that Swamy owned a house, which was in his mother’s name. However, a bank had issued an auction notice due to unpaid loans, police sources said.
The case was cracked by a team led by DCP (Northeast) Sarah Fathima, Madivala ACP Laxminarayana K.C., and Inspector Mohammad M.A. of Madivala police station.