Cops recover elaborate tool kit from thief

Kochi: Perumbavoor police who arrested a man in a theft case were in for a surprise when they discovered his elaborate ‘tool kit’ used for breaking into houses. The accused had tools including a drilling machine, batteries to power it and even an electric blower to melt stolen gold.
The infamous thief is Jose Mathew, 50, alias Eramadu Jose, a resident of Iringole.He was arrested on Friday for a theft at a plywood factory owner’s house at Vadakkattupady. It was a detailed investigation into his modus operandi that led the police to the toolkit.
“The tools include various electric drill bits, manual drills, wires, various types of batteries to power his electric tools, crowbars, hammers, players, safety gloves, blades of different sizes, electric torch, etc. He also had the entire mechanism required for melting the stolen gold jewellery and converting it into other forms,” said an officer.
The accused was so notorious that he was spotted in multiple CCTV footage near houses where thefts were reported. In most footage, he was seen walking, wearing bermuda shorts leading to the local residents giving him the moniker, Bermuda Thief, police said.
Police said that another of his modus operandi was to use a WagonR car to identify houses suitable for thefts. “He used to park the vehicle around five kilometres away and walk to the targeted house with the tools,” said an officer. The investigation was held under Rural SP Vivek Kumar. Perumbavoor ASP Anuj Palliwal, inspectors M K Sajeev and R Ranjith were part of the team which made the arrest.
He had been staying alone at Iringole for the past seven years. Police said the man had around 50 theft cases against his name but he had told his neighbours that he was into mushroom and fish cultivation, police said.