Bangalore-based iThief nabbed by Kochi police

KOCHI: The city is fast becoming a prime target for hi-tech thieves from other states. Close on the heels of nabbing the notorious criminal Metal Mani from Chennai on Friday, the city police has caught yet another burglar from Bangalore who specializes in robbing iPads, laptops and tablets from computer showrooms.
On May 29, a robbery was reported at one of the leading computer showroom in the city.The police team which probed the case found that the thief had robbed only laptops and tablets worth lakhs of rupees from the showroom. Though there was not much evidence left at the crime scene, the team managed to get some vital leads and zeroed in on the accused who hails from Bangalore. Police sources said that the team had camped in Bangalore for the last three to four days and traced the accused whose details have been kept secret. "We zeroed in on the accused after reaching Bangalore. We need to get a few more details to reveal his identity," a police official said.
According to sources, the suspect had camped in Kochi in the last few weeks and planned a series of robberies in the city. "He commits robberies in other cities. He prepares a detailed master plan after identifying and studying his target in detail. In Kochi, he has committed the crime in the heart of the city," sources added.
The May 29 robbery was the fifth incident in the city in recent times in which hi-tech robbers from other states had committed crime here. Apart from Bunty Chor alias Devender Singh, who committed a series of thefts in the state including Kochi, the city police had earlier arrested a Pune-based man identified as Naren, who robbed costly Rolex watches from a mall in the city; K Purushotham Pandey, son of a retired IAS officer from Karnataka who allegedly stole electronic appliances from a house; and Mani alias Metal Mani, a notorious and wanted thief from Chennai who was camping in the city to commit robberies.