The arrest of a 49-year-old lawyer has managed to show that the most bizarre things can happen even amid the somber dignity of high courts: he has allegedly been stealing law journals from the AP and Telangana High Court for the past year.

Advocate Guttula Ganga Venu Gopala Krishna (49), a native of East Godavari, was arrested on Saturday for allegedly stealing law books, journals and several volumes of citations from the High Court Library. Charminar police recovered 144 books from him.

Charminar Inspector A. Yaadigiri, told The News Minute, that he had been stealing the journals since he discovered one day that no one was around in the early hours of the day. Initially starting with a few books, he went on to return regularly during the early part of the day.

However, a few days ago, a library attender noticed that several AIR manuals and other books were missing from Hall No. 13, and reported it to the police.

Most law journals, including the AIR manuals, are generally very expensive and an entire series of books can cost several thousand rupees.

Yaadigiri said: “He was in financial difficulties and did this to establish a reputed office and impress his clients.”

Gopala Krishna studied Law in GS Krishna College in Rajahmundry, East Godavari district in 1999 and practiced in Kakinada until 2008. He then joined the Sirpur Kagaz Nagar Paper Mill in Adilabad district as a legal advisor but came to Hyderabad in 2012 with his family after the paper mill closed down due to lock out.

Since then, he has been practicing in the Hyderabad High Court. But because he did not have many clients, he was financially burdened and decided to set up a “good office” and began stealing law books from High Court.

Until now, he has stolen 144 books in the court from the Hall Nos. 4,5,6,13,17,18,19,21,33 and 37, police said.

A case has been registered against him under section 380 IPC (Theft) and he was remanded to judicial custody on Monday.