Talk of innovative robbery! In the darkness of night, dressed up as a woman, 22-year-old Ravinder would sneak into women’s hostels and steal valuables.
But, luck ran out for him on Saturday and the tea vendor at Maitrivanam is on the run. However, his accomplice of several months , Abishalan, 22, has been picked up by the Punjagutta police.
The duo used to scout for working women’s hostels in and around Ameerpet in the day-time and strike late at night. While Abishalan maintained a vigil outside, Ravinder, dressed in a salwar kameez , would find his way inside the hostel and walk out with baggage, mobile phones and even laptops. The accused would cover his face using the dupatta , to prevent recognition.
Punjagutta Detective Inspector K. Sattaiah said Abishalan was nabbed with the help of call details of a stolen mobile phone which he had been using for the past few days. The duo was involved in at least 10 cases reported at Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar, Punjagutta and Kukatpally police station limits.
Inspector Sattaiah said Ravinder, who hails from Mahbubnagar district, runs a tea stall at Ameerpet and had earlier been arrested for alleged involvement in a mobile phone theft case. Abishalan, too, was nabbed previously by the police in connection with a car theft case.
The duo met while at the Cherlapally central prison. After their release from jail, Ravinder and Abishalan decided to target women’s hostels.
A few days ago, gold ornaments, a laptop and mobile phones were stolen from an Ameerpet hostel. A police probe on the matter helped track Abishalan.
“We tracked the call details of the stolen mobile phones and caught Abishalan,” the Detective Inspector said.
