Burglar lands in police net after 22-year crime spree

The man’s fingerprints at a crime scene helped the police track him down

August 15, 2017 12:44 am | Updated 12:46 am IST - HYDERABAD

A serial burglar who evaded arrest by sheer luck for more than two decades was caught on Sunday.

The man’s fingerprints helped the police track him down.

The L.B. Nagar Police tracked Mohammed Habeeb at his house and seized gold ornaments as well as silver worth ₹ 30 lakh which the police showed as stolen property. The 45-year-old was nabbed after his fingerprints were found at a crime scene in Meerpet last year.

When a fingerprint analysis threw his name, the police were surprised to find that he was convicted in 1995. Since then, he is believed to have committed several burglaries, mainly striking in residential areas.

Habeeb’s name is being linked with at least 26 cases from the last three years alone. He was convicted along with three others in 1995 and after serving his sentence, he was released. He continued burgling homes but his involvement was suspected in any of the crimes before 2016.

A police official added that Habeeb did not say if he took precautionary measures to evade arrest but was able to continue with his run as no clues connecting him to the crimes he committed came police’s way.

Computer thief held

Hayathnagar Police nabbed a thief who struck at commercial establishments by stealing the keys to the place and duplicating them. Velhandi Sathyam was caught after he was seen moving suspiciously on Monday morning.

He was wanted in connection with a theft at a house from where he had stolen computers and related equipment earlier this month. The police learnt that the accused would divert attention to obtain keys to a place and later replace them after duplication. He would then commit an offence.

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