When the Uppal police in Hyderabad received a complaint from a software engineer Merwya Carl on October 17 alleging theft in his house, little did they know that they had landed themselves in a bizarre case.
Carl, who resides in the Seven Hills Colony in Uppal alleged that burglars stole five tolas of jewellery from his house after he and his wife had left the city on August 5 and returned on October 17.
Reports suggest that Carl gave his house keys to a group of friends and an auto driver who would later get arrested, was also part of the group.
Joseph James, an auto driver who is in his 30s, attracted the attention of a police party, who were checking vehicles at the Uppal bus stop, because of his suspicious movements.
While it may seem like an open-and-shut case, it was what James told the police during interrogation that left the investigators in shock.
"We were questioning him and asked him if he committed any other crimes, and he confessed that he was involved in gambling, and already had two cases booked against him in different police stations. After that, he told us about AIDS," says a police officer from the Uppal police station.
Around eight months ago, Joseph James came to know that he was suffering from AIDS and that he did not have a long life ahead.
Following this, he claims to have had unprotected sex with at least 300 women, including many sex workers.
James was born and brought up in Hyderabad, but his father had travelled from Kerala. He had been driving an auto for a few years now, and even transported children to and from school.
"He was divorced twice and his third wife had left him and was living separately somewhere. He had no children either, so he was gambling and drinking everyday, along with frequent visits to brothels. He must have soon ran out of money, which may have led him to steal the gold," the police officer added.
However, here's where the tricky part comes in. There is no substantial evidence to book James for his other crimes.
“We can book him under Section 331 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 336 (act endangering life of others), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC, provided we get a complaint from someone,” M Ravi Chandan Reddy, assistant commissioner of police, Malkajgiri, told The New Indian Express.
Speaking to The News Minute, Y Narsimha Reddy, station house officer, Uppal Police said, "He is in jail now but under bailable offences of trespass and theft. We conducted a medical test and he is in the final stage of the disease, but we can't book him with more charges just on his claims and a test result."
The police are hoping that one of the women would come forward and file a complaint, but they do not seem too optimistic about the possibility.
"Even if he gets released, all we can do is keep a track on him and make sure he stays out of trouble," Reddy added.