The Elamakkara police on Tuesday arrested a man accused of attacking women with chilly powder and robbing them of gold chains.
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The arrested is Ratheesh, 34, of Kaloor. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to have attacked two women at Ponekkara and Edappally with chilly powder before robbing their gold chains on January 18 and 25 respectively.
He also confessed to have pulled off similar robberies within the Elamakkara and Palarivattom police station limits in January. He had been accused of pushing an aged lady into a waterbody and robbing her of her chain by threatening to drown her at Alathur in Palakkad in December.
Ratheesh was nabbed after concerted efforts by the Kochi City and Palakkad police. According to the police, he used to travel long distances to identify and attack a potential victim. He mostly targeted women on their way to places of worship during early mornings. He would take different routes to avoid detection by the police.
Though originally from Alathur, he had reportedly severed all ties with his family long ago. He had been living on rent at various places in Ernakulam district before moving to Aluva with his wife one-and-a-half-years ago. He had given people the impression that he was a sign board worker.