A house theft in Andhra Pradesh’s Palnadu district has taken a strange turn. Cash worth Rs 20 lakh and 317 grams of gold jewellery were stolen from a locked house in Balaji Arcade Apartments in Narasaraopet’s Prakash Nagar.
But days later, the family found a bag outside their home. It contained Rs 19 lakh in cash and a handwritten letter. The unusual recovery has left both the family and police stunned.
Couple Finds House Broken Into After Returning From Village
Adi Narayan Reddy and his wife, Koteswaramma, had left for their village on July 30 after the death of a relative. When they returned, they found the locks of their house broken. A check of the cupboard showed that Rs 20 lakh in cash and 317 grams of gold jewellery were missing. The couple then approached the police and reported the theft.
Rs 19 Lakh Found In Bag Outside House
The biggest twist came when a suspicious bag was spotted near a slipper shop outside the family’s home. On checking it, the family found Rs 19 lakh and a handwritten letter.
In the letter, the thief reportedly said he was returning his share of the stolen money. However, he allegedly refused to reveal anything about the missing gold. The letter also carried a strange request. The family was asked not to use “anjanam” to identify or track the thieves.
What Is ‘Anjanam’ And Why Did It Scare The Thief?
“Anjanam” is associated with traditional beliefs that mantras or sorcery can be used to identify a thief or reveal their whereabouts. Local rumours reportedly suggested that the victim’s family was planning to approach people believed to have knowledge of such practices.
The rumour appears to have frightened the suspected thieves. Fearing that they could be identified, one of them allegedly returned Rs 19 lakh. However, police are yet to establish whether the letter was genuinely written by one of the thieves.
Police Suspect Someone Familiar With The Family
It is believed that the robbery might have taken place using someone who was either known to the family members or to the apartment. The police are trying to see whether the robbers were aware of the usual timings of the building. The robbers were reported to know about the timing when the electricity was turned off in the mornings for around half an hour.
The letter found from the scene has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). The police are trying to trace any handwriting and fingerprints from the letter. There are no traces of the gold jewellery that has gone missing.
The bizarre letter and the retrieval of Rs 19 lakh have raised discussions all over Narasaraopet. The police are now waiting for the results of the forensics to come and reveal the culprit behind the robbery.
Sudeep Singh Rawat is a Copy Editor at NewsX Digital with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He covers national and international news, with a focus on politics, crime, technology, public affairs, and trending topics. Before joining NewsX Digital, he worked with Business Standard, The Sunday Guardian, and other digital media organisations. His reporting focuses on breaking news, enterprise stories, and explainers that inform readers through accurate, balanced, and context-driven journalism.
