Charity in Chains: The Curious Tale of a Thief Who Tried to Buy Redemption
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In a case that blurs the lines between crime and conscience, a thief from Kalaburagi, Karnataka, has been arrested after years of evading capture&mdash;not by going underground, but by walking into temples and public events with open hands and stolen goods.
Shivprasad, now in custody, is no ordinary criminal. Though the law will remember him for the more than 260 cases registered in his name, many in the region knew him differently&mdash;as a man who funded religious festivals, donated generously to temples, and sponsored free meals for the poor. The gold he gave, the money he handed out, and the acts of service he performed, however, came at a cost paid by others&mdash;his victims, primarily affluent households whose trust and security were broken in silence.
Police say Shivprasad&rsquo;s methods were clever, even clinical. He avoided detection by coating his fingertips with glue, leaving no trace behind. Yet, for all his cunning, it was his belief in divine justice that both defined and ultimately doomed him. He seemed convinced that by returning part of his loot to God, and by helping those in need, his sins would be washed away, or at least overlooked by the law.
In one instance, he donated over 30 lakh rupees worth of gold to temples. In another, he funded a grand meal in Maharashtra&rsquo;s Latur district, where thousands were fed without ever knowing the source of their benefactor&rsquo;s wealth. These weren&rsquo;t anonymous acts of kindness&mdash;they were calculated gestures, designed to cloak a long trail of theft in the illusion of benevolence.
To some, he might resemble a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. But unlike the folklore hero, Shivprasad&rsquo;s actions weren&rsquo;t rooted in social justice or rebellion against an unjust order. They were, at their core, acts of desperation&mdash;a thief&rsquo;s bid to hide behind piety, to bargain with fate, and to outrun the law through offerings and oblation.
Kalaburagi&rsquo;s Police Commissioner, Dr. Sharanappa S.D., admitted the case was unlike any other. "He seemed to believe he could offset crime with charity," the official remarked. But justice, unlike faith, does not deal in offerings&mdash;it deals in evidence.
The case of Shivprasad leaves behind a complicated legacy. It is a reminder that morality and legality, though often aligned, do not always walk in step. It raises questions about how society views redemption, and whether good deeds done with stolen hands can ever truly be good.
He now faces the consequences of his long-running double life, where his attempt to balance sin with virtue collapsed under the weight of reality. For all his offerings to the divine, it is now the court that will decide his fate.
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Modern Days Robin Hood Shivprasad from Karnataka

Shivprasad donated stolen goods to temples, fed thousands—now faces over 260 cases

Thief's Charity Trail Ends in Arrest in Karnataka

Shivprasad donated stolen goods to temples, fed thousands—now faces over 260 cases

April 30, 2025 | 17:14 IST