He has over 200 daylight burglaries to his credit, 105 convictions for proven burglaries and has been booked five times under the Goondas Act by Tamil Nadu Police. He strikes at locked flats during the day. He is also 62 years old and has trained many youngsters in waylaying and burglary.
Gous Basha, a native of Vellore and a resident of Saidapet, was arrested on Friday by the Anna Salai police after he was nabbed by people near Express Avenue on Thursday night. He, along with two accomplices, had robbed a software engineer at knifepoint.
“When Basha was questioned, he confessed to have burgled the flat of a State government employee in Peter’s Colony, Royapettah on August 11. He fled with 50 sovereigns and sold it in Coimbatore. Basha was involved in over 100 other burglaries in the city,” said S. Senthil Kumaran, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Triplicane.
Basha, who turned to burglary as a teenager, has committed burglaries in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too. His modus operandi is to break into locked flats during the day. He often wears a full slack shirt and carries an iron rod to break locks, police sources said.
“We suspected his involvement in the Peter’s Colony case but were doubtful as he was 62 years old. But despite his age, he is known to be active in crime,” said C. Ramalingam, Inspector of Police, Anna Salai.
Police also found out Basha had handpicked youths in the city and other parts of the State and trained them, taking a share of the loot in return.
The two youngsters nabbed by the public on Thursday are Basha’s disciples, sources added. Police recovered 40 sovereigns from Basha and his accomplices and lodged them in Puzhal prison.
