A 55-year-old burglar who installed silver statues for his late father and brother at his home in Hosakerehalli, using money from booty, has been arrested. Gold jewellery worth Rs. 20 lakh and the silver statues have been seized from him.
Sources at the Basaveshwara Nagar police station identified the man as Shankar, a native of Gujarat. He was nabbed a few days ago after the police had tailed him for long over suspicions of his involvement in a series of burglaries in the city. Having settled in Hosakerehalli with his wife after coming to Bengaluru in 2007, Shankar allegedly began looting homes in a bid to amass a fortune.
Interestingly, he had strong belief in astrology and was told by a soothsayer that erecting statues for his late father and brother, both thieves, would bring him prosperity and keep the police at bay. Taking this for real, Shanker burgled many homes in the city as well as in the suburbs, and using the money, installed the statues.
However, his luck ran out after a Basaveshwara Nagar police team zeroed in on him using CCTV footage and fingerprints lifted from the crime scenes. Sources said during interrogation, a series of burglaries he was involved in was unearthed. A thorough search of his house revealed stolen gold jewellery.
Shankar is now remanded in judicial custody and the police are looking into other cases he might have been involved in.
