HYDERABAD: Amberpet police on Friday detained a software engineer on the charge of luring minor boys to commit thefts in trains. While police are tight lipped about the details of the accused, sources said he is employed with Google.

According to cops, Subhash, from Golnaka in Amberpet, was a frequent visitor to an internet cafe in the neighbouring Shankar Nagar. He managed to become friends with a few teenaged boys who came to play video games at the cafe. Subhash would treat them to biryani and ice-cream in nearby restaurants. After gaining their confidence, Subhash would take the boys for day-long journeys in trains like Venkatadri, Narayandari and Yeshwantpur Express to commit thefts. “Subhash used to make the boys steal mobile phones and laptops from passengers,” said a police official.

Normally, Subhash used to bring back the boys on the same day and his misdeeds did not come light until he made a mistake recently. About two weeks ago, Subhash took a 13-year-old boy from Maruthi Nagar, Amberpet, to Bangalore in a train and returned only after two days. Meanwhile, the boy’s parents lodged a complaint with the police.

Subhash’s illegal activities came to light after the boy returned home. “When grilled by his parents about his whereabouts, the boy confessed everything and we were informed about it,” said a police source. Cops immediately picked up Subhash from his house and seized two laptops from his possession. As Subhash denied any wrongdoing on his part, Amberpet police are now trying to gather evidence to prove the accusations.

