Kasargod: Inter-state 'Choron Ka Raja' Arrested for Theft Worth Crores
Stephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network - Kasargod (BG)
Kasargod, Sep 3: An inter-state thief who was accused in more than 50 cases of theft in Kerala and Karnataka has been arrested by the Palakkad police.
Raju alias Thangaraju (59), a resident of Muriyanavi, Kasargod, is the arrested. A native of Tamil Nadu, he had settled down in Kasargod 40 years ago.
Acting on information received, police arrested him from Chennai where he was taking refuge.
He had been earlier arrested for committing 28 thefts in Udupi, and was released on bail in 2011. He was staying at Palakkad ever since.
Raju used to run a tea shop in Udupi court premises and steal at night. He absconded after allegedly looting jewellery worth Rs 2.5 crore in Kushalnagar in Karnataka.
Palakkad police have confirmed that he has stolen 85 sovereigns of gold ornaments from 12 places in Palakkad district.
It is said that he was involved in several theft cases in Udupi, Madikeri and other places. Police sources said that he has stolen jewellery worth crores. Interestingly, he committed all the thefts alone, without any accomplice.
He bought land worth crores in Palakkad and other places with the money he accumulated after selling the stolen ornaments.
He was also involved in a theft of 36 gold coins, 46 sovereign gold and mobile from a house belonging to Usha, a teacher in Chandranagar, Palakkad. He sold all the ornaments to a jeweller in Erode, Tamil Nadu for Rs 8.5 lac.
He was also using the mobile that he had stolen. On tracing this mobile, the police found that he was in Chennai. The police then raided a lodge there and rounded him up.
He was later prouced in court. "More will be revealed after he is taken into police custody," said R Ashokan, Kasaba station circle inspector, Palakkad.