The State police on Saturday said the Pune police had on their tip-off detained the man believed to be Devinder Singh alias Bunty Chor, the man suspected to be responsible for the theft of an expensive car, laptop computers, cash and jewelry from the “electronically secured and bullet proof window pane fortified” house of a businessman here on January 21.
At 4 a.m., City Police Commissioner P. Vijayan received information that a man resembling the person caught on surveillance camera at the house of the businessman had checked into a hotel at Mall Dhaka Chowk in Samarath police station limits in Pune. Additional Director General of Police A. Hemachandran contacted City Police Commissioner, Pune, ADGP G.D. Paul and requested the suspect be detained.
A senior official said the Pune police roused the “wanted man” from his sleep and took him to the local station house, where he reportedly feigned ignorance of the burglary and claimed to be “a legitimate businessman.”
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The Pune police informed their counterparts in the State that it was possible they had the custody of the wrong man.
However, Mr. Hemachandran insisted that suspect beheld in custody till a Kerala police team reached there. He moved the Crime Squad headed by Circle Inspector R. Pratapan, which was bivouacked in Bangalore, to Pune by an evening flight.
Mr. Pratapan contacted his superiors and confirmed that the hazy video frame picture of the suspect matched that of the detained person.
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Senior officials said the Kerala police could not question the detainee so far. The Pune police have booked him on the charge of planning a crime in their jurisdiction under Section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
They are expected to produce him before the local magistrate on Sunday and formally announce the arrest. If so, the Kerala police will move an application for his custody and a transit warrant to produce him at the magistrate court concerned in the city.
The police believe the man in custody in Pune is the same person who gave the Karnataka police the slip on Friday.