Mangalagiri Rural Police have arrested an interstate offender involved in a large-scale laptop theft racket that targeted boys’ hostels at reputed educational institutions across India, including universities, IITs, NITs and medical colleges. Police recovered 15 stolen laptops valued at nearly Rs12 lakh from the accused.
Addressing a media conference, North DSP Murali Krishna said preliminary investigations revealed the accused’s involvement in at least 61 laptop theft cases spanning around 11 states.
The arrested individual was identified as Pathamil Selvan (29), son of Kannan, a native of Pulivalam village in Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu. Police said Selvan had studied law and used careful planning and knowledge to execute the thefts systematically.
According to police, Selvan would first identify a target institution and travel to the campus by booking cabs through Uber or Ola. Posing as a postgraduate aspirant seeking admission details, he gained access to the premises. While making enquiries, he would discreetly enter boys’ hostels and steal unattended laptops from students’ rooms.
The case surfaced on December 31, 2025, when Selvan allegedly stole three laptops from the boys’ hostel at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in Kuragallu village and two more from SRM University on the same day. Following complaints from college authorities, including Senior Warden Mohan Krishnan, police examined CCTV footage and launched an investigation.
Further inquiry revealed that Selvan committed similar thefts in Chennai and Goa. On January 12, 2026, he allegedly stole nine laptops and a trolley suitcase from the boys’ hostel of NIT Goa. He later arrived in Vijayawada on February 2, 2025, storing the stolen laptops in the bus stand cloakroom while planning further thefts at VIT and KLU colleges.
Based on technical analysis, CCTV evidence and app-based cab records, Mangalagiri Rural Police arrested Selvan near Don Bosco School at Errabalem around 10.30 am. All 15 laptops, including those stolen from Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Madhya Pradesh, were recovered.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed that stealing laptops had become an addiction and that he sold the stolen devices in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.
