He used to target only grief-stricken houses

Mandya: Arakere Police have arrested a burglar, who used to loot houses where people were found grieving for their dead relative and friend and have recovered valuables including gold, cash and car worth Rs. 36 lakh which the burglar had looted in 10 places.

The arrested is 23-year-old Manu alias Shambu, a native of Aralakuppe village in Pandavapura taluk and a resident of Mysuru.

On Jan. 6, Shivakumar, a resident of Mahadevapura, passed away and his brother’s family came to the house for the last rites only to find 135 grams gold ornaments kept in the almirah stolen. One Nataraju had lodged a complaint with Arakere Police on the same day.

Burglaries were also reported in the houses of the dead at Aarathi Ukkada, Haravu and Damadahalli village in Pandavapura limits.

Mandya Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) S.E. Gangadharaswamy, who took the burglary incidents seriously, formed a Special Police team comprising Srirangapatna Sub-Division Dy.Sp Murali, Circle Inspector Puneeth, Arakere Sub-Inspector M.R. Byali and others to nab the accused.

The Special Police team, which conducted an operation on Jan. 16, took accused Manu to custody near Pandavapura Railway Station and interrogated him during which the accused is said to have confessed of his involvement in 10 burglary cases and also stated that he had pledged the stolen gold ornaments at various private gold loan firms in KRS and Pandavapura town and also at a Co-operative Bank in Bannangadi village.

Based on the information provided by the accused, Arakere Police have recovered 521 grams gold ornaments worth Rs. 30.21 lakh, one camera and lenses worth Rs. 3.50 lakh, one bike worth Rs. 50,000 and one car valued at Rs. 2 lakh totalling Rs. 36 lakh from him.

Circle Inspector Puneeth, Arakere Sub-Inspector M.R. Byali, ASI Nataraju and staff Satish, Nagendra, Rajesh, Shivaprasad, Nandagopi, Shivakumar, Raveesh, Ravikiran and Lokesh took part in the nabbing and recovery operation.