‘BPO thief’ fenced his loot at T Nagar jewellery shops

CHENNAI: N Manjunatha, 23, who was arrested on Wednesday for more than 25 burglaries in Maduravoyal, had made more than 80 visits to two leading jewellery stores in T Nagar where he exchanged stolen jewellery for new ornaments, police said. The two stores could now face action as more than 80 visits by the same person who either exchanged or sold a lot of gold jewellery could not be treated as normal business, police said.
Police are reviewing the case seriously as “this is the first time leading jewellery stores have accepted stolen jewellery”. Last month, Manjunatha exchanged stolen gold seven times at the two stores. “We suspect the hand of the staff at the two stores,” a police officer said. Police have recovered the receipts for the ornaments exchanged from Manjunatha and the jewellery from the showrooms. “We are looking into all angles,” police commissioner S George said.
Manjunatha was caught by a patrol team after he tried to run away on spotting the team. He confessed to committing burglaries since 2009.
The youth, who didn’t have a police record, told his family that he was employed in a BPO firm. Once a week, he would leave home telling his family that he was attending ‘meetings’ in Bangalore or Hyderabad and return after a few days. Manjunatha told police that he spent time at a hotel in Puducherry or some other place.
His first attempt to burgle a house in Maduravoyal failed, Manjunatha told police. He persisted and broke open the door only on the fourth attempt. The burglary came to light after a week after the occupants returned from a vacation.