AP's 'Most Wanted' Criminal Caught in Kerala: Who Is Prakash Kumar Sahu?

Apart from Kerala, Sahu has also been booked by the police in various states in the past, the police said.

Andhra Pradesh's most wanted criminal, Prakash Kumar Sahu, arrested in Kerala

(Image: Kochi Police/ ANI; Altered by The Quint)

Kerala Police nabbed Prakash Kumar Sahu who is enlisted in the Andhra Pradesh Police’s list of most wanted criminals, a top police official said on Sunday, 19 February 2023.

Kochi City Police Commissioner K Sethu Raman IPS stated at a press conference that Sahu was arrested during a special police drive in Kochi, Kerala. Sahu was reportedly caught red-handed during a theft attempt at a house near the general hospital.

Who is Prakash Kumar Sahu, the notorious interstate robber? A notorious burglar who was involved in thefts and robberies in several states across the country, Prakash Kumar Sahu, alias Santhosh Kumar Sahu, is called the 'Temple Thief.' Sahu is known to scout temples and commit burglaries later, using a gas cutter and an iron rod for opening the locks by breaking or cutting and stealing silver and gold ornaments.

Popular cases charged against Sahu:

• Sahu was the mastermind behind the sensational Kanakadurga temple robbery case. The case involved the theft of Sri Kanakadurga Ammavari Kireetam (crown of the goddess and other ornaments) from Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam, Vijayawada, in 1998.

• In 2015, Sahu struck at the Sai Baba Temple in Prasadampadu and reportedly decamped with ornaments weighing 18 kg.

• The same year, Sahu was also accused of stealing bronze plates from the Jagannath temple in Puri, Amalapuram, Ongole, and the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple at Ravulapalem in East Godavari district.

  In June 2015, Sahu was nabbed by the Central Crime Station (CCS) police, who recovered silver ornaments weighing about 60 kg, worth Rs 25 lakh, and Rs 1.19 lakh in cash from his possession.

• The repeat offender has committed similar crimes, a minimum of 47, across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Currently, there are several cases against Sahu in three districts in Kerala, including Ernakulam, Kollam, and Alappuzha.