Notorious thief, accomplice held by special probe team

Kochi: Ernakulam rural police investigating thefts by notorious thief Spider Sabu have found that he met his latest accomplice while serving a jail term in Kozhikode.Sabu (53) of Sultan Bathery earned the nickname, Spider Sabu, due to his skill to climb buildings with ease. He and his accomplice, Ajith Sathyajith (30) of Kozhikode, were arrested by a special investigation team led by Perumbavoor ASP in Angamaly on Wednesday night while planning for a theft.Investigation into a burglary that occurred on the night of Aug 30 in Kunnathunad led the police to Sabu. He, along with Ajith, broke into the house and stole items, including a gem-studded ring, Rs 25,000 cash, smartwatches, a pen camera, and a tablet.According to police, Sabu, who was jailed for theft in Kozhikode, met Ajith in 2023, at jail. Ajith was serving a term for a drug case. After being released from jail in March, the two started committing thefts together.Sabu is a suspect in over 50 theft cases in Kozhikode, Wayanad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Alappuzha, and Kottayam. He is also accused in a case in Kozhikode where he allegedly killed a house owner during a robbery in 2001.ASP Mohit Rawat, inspector A L Abhilash, SIs TS Saneesh, J Saji, ASI P A Abdul Manaf, senior CPOs Manoj Kumar, T A Afsal, Benny Isaac, and Varghese Venatt were part of the investigation team.Police said all items stolen from the house in Kunnathunad by the accused have been recovered. The team would soon seek the accused in custody for questioning. TNN