Thieves loot nearly Rs 1.07 crore cash from Brilliant Institute in Abdullapurmet

Hyderabad: In a meticulously planned night-time heist, unidentified burglars broke into the office of Brilliant Engineering College, owned by Kalwakurthy Congress MLA Kasireddy Narayan Reddy, and escaped with Rs 1.07 crore in cash.

The money, collected as student fees, was kept in the administrative office at the college’s Abdullapurmet campus.

Theft discovered next morning

The burglary came to light on Friday morning, when the college staff reported for duty.

According to V Veeranna (61), the principal of the institution, he had locked the campus gates around 6 pm on Thursday after classes concluded.

“At about 8.45 a.m. on Friday, I received a call from the administrative officer, Keshineni Kumar, informing me that the office lock had been broken and a theft had occurred,” Veeranna said in his complaint to the police.

Upon rushing to the scene, the principal found the office lock smashed, almirahs broken open, and the cash missing.

Money belonged to Group Institutions

Preliminary investigations revealed that the stolen amount comprised student fee collections from three engineering colleges and a pharmacy college run by the Brilliant Group of Technical Institutions, managed by the MLA.

Police suspect that the offenders had clear knowledge of where the cash was stored, suggesting prior familiarity with the premises.

CCTV footage missing

In a move that points to careful planning, the burglars also made off with the digital video recorder (DVR) containing the college’s CCTV footage.

“The fact that the DVR was taken along with the cash shows the culprits knew exactly what they were doing. We strongly suspect an insider’s role in facilitating the break-in,” said an official from the Abdullapurmet Police Station.

Investigation Underway

Police teams are now scanning CCTV footage from nearby establishments and questioning college staff and security personnel to trace the culprits.

A case has been registered under Sections 331(4) (lurking house trespass by night) and 305 (theft in a building) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Authorities said they are confident of making progress soon, given the detailed nature of the evidence gathered so far.