A history-sheeter who stole 58 saris worth ₹ 5.8 lakh from the Khadi Kraft shop near the Avinashi road flyover recently had sold them for less than ₹ 10,000, said the police who arrested him on Tuesday.
The police found that G. Murugan (41) from Erimedu near Puliyakulam stole the saris on July 30 and sold 47 saris to Mohammed Jalil (55) of Selvapuram for just ₹ 6,000, while each sari was worth ₹ 10,000. Of the remaining 11 saris, he gave one to an autorickshaw driver whom he had hired after the theft and sold four to persons known to him for ₹ 500 to ₹ 1,000. Six saris were recovered from him.
Murugan came to know about the actual cost of saris from newspapers after the burglary, the police said.
He landed in police custody while planning to demand more money from Jalil. The police also arrested Jalil and recovered 47 saris from him.
As per the complaint lodged by the shop in-charge, ₹ 55,000 was also stolen along with the saris on Friday. Murugan also attempted to break open a hundial of the Thandu Mariamman temple on Avinashi Road the same night. Continuing his spree, he broke open a grocery store at Pappanaickenpalayam on Sunday night and stole cigarette packets.
The police said that Murugan faced 14 theft cases in Coimbatore.
