Unlike the typical modus operandi of Pardhi gang where a group resorts to house burglaries, here is a Pardhi community man who has been committing offences as a ‘solo enterprise’.
Jagtial district police arrested Pandhari Balu Pawar (34) from Aurangabad in Maharashtra and recovered 1.06 kg of gold ornaments and 1.31 kg silver articles worth around ₹ 56 lakh from his possession. The arrest has provided several clues to the police personnel as the change of committing offences with one-man operations. Such huge recovery of gold ornaments, by far the highest in any district in the State, has proved a watershed in crime detection in recent times.
The accused, Pandhari, has been involved in 21 house-breakings by night and even robbery cases that took place at Jagtial rural, Ibrahimpatnam, Metpally, Raikal, Medipally, Sarangpur and Korutla in the district, Superintendent of Police Sindhu Sarma said. She said that even they were surprised to know that Pandhari was a solo offender as the Pardhi community members commit offences in groups and share the booty.
“ He entered the houses and decamped with gold and silver and also snatched gold chains from women who were asleep, apart from breaking the locks and committing the offence,” Ms. Sarma said, adding that the accused was not involved in physical or sexual assaults.
Explaining the modus operandi, the officer said that Pandhari used to come from Maharashtra, target houses next to under-construction sites in the towns, commit offences in the night and went back to his native place. He never took shelter in any of those towns. “His fingerprints also matched those collected from the scene of offence,” Ms. Sarma said. With more HB cases being reported in one particular area, a special team was formed to probe the cases and nab the accused. The investigators have leads on Pandhari’s brother and other relatives involved in similar cases in the district and elsewhere in the State.
