KOCHI: A thief who stole money from the cabins of scooters and motorcycles landed in police net on Monday. Police said Theophane Anil, 37, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, is an expert in breaking the lock of two-wheelers to stealing the valuables kept inside. He had a bunch of around 30 duplicate keys to carry out the operation.
“He was arrested based on the complaint of a Kathrikadavu native. The burglar attempted to steal a sum of `5,000 from the purse kept in the front luggage case of his scooter when he went inside the house of a friend at Kathrikadavu on Sunday. However, his act was caught in the CCTV camera installed in the house. Upon noticing the theft attempt, the complainant rushed out, and soon the accused escaped in a motorcycle after abandoning the purse,” said Anas V B, Sub Inspector of Police, Ernakulam Town North. An inquiry based on the CCTV footage in the area helped nab the accused.
Explaining his modus operandi, police officers said, Theophane used to wait in front of banks and commercial establishments to zero in on the customers who parked their scooters in front of these firms. Later he will use duplicate keys to break open the cabin and decamp with valuables.Theophane was involved in stealing a sum of `10 lakh from a scooter parked in front of CMFRI, here, on June 26, 2019. After this operation, he had been on the run when the Ernakulam Central Police launched a probe.
The police recovered a bunch of 30 duplicate keys, allegedly of scooters and motorcycles, from the possession of Theophane. He was booked in about 25 similar thefts, including stealing cash to the tune of `2 lakh from a two-wheeler under the Thiruvananthapuram Fort police station limits.A team led by Sibi Tom, Inspector of Police, Ernakulam Town North, arrested Theophane.