Hyderabad: Gachibowli Police arrested a habitual offender allegedly involved in a series of laptop thefts across Hyderabad’s IT corridor. Investigators said the accused confessed to his role in 13 property theft cases registered in different police station limits.
Police identified the accused as Gopi Chinnannan, 35, a native of Vellore district in Tamil Nadu. A special crime team arrested him on DLF Road in Gachibowli during the early hours of Thursday as part of an investigation into a series of laptop theft cases registered since 2025.
According to police, the accused had been involved in property offences since 2021. Pune Police had earlier arrested him in a laptop theft case in 2023. After securing bail, he allegedly shifted his hideouts frequently to avoid arrest while continuing similar offences.
Laptop theft accused confessed to 13 cases
Police said the accused targeted engineering colleges, student hostels, paying guest accommodations, shared rooms of IT employees and apartment complexes between January and May 2025. He allegedly stole laptops, mobile phones and cash.
During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted his involvement in 13 cases. These included four cases in Gachibowli, seven in Madhapur, one in Raidurgam and one in Filmnagar.
Police recovered one laptop, one mobile phone and cash amounting to ₹1.60 lakh from the accused.
Laptop theft accused used early morning strategy
Investigators said the accused surveyed target locations during the day and carried out thefts between 5 am and 8 am. He allegedly entered houses through unlocked doors or windows and targeted laptops, mobile phones and cash that he could easily carry away.
Police also said the accused pretended to be deaf and mute to avoid suspicion. He mainly targeted engineering colleges, student hostels, paying guest accommodations, residences of IT employees and apartment complexes.
The case was detected under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner of Police with the support of the Additional DCP, Serilingampally Zone, the ACP of Narsingi, the CCS DCP, the CCS SHO, the Gachibowli SHO, the Detective Inspector and the Gachibowli Crime Team.