Tattoo helped nab mobile thief

The image had been captured on CCTV camera

A tattoo helped the police zero in on the man who had broken into a mobile phone shop and stole 15 smartphones four months ago.

The accused, Sanjay Kumar, is a 23-year-old from Bokaro in Jharkhand. He had come to Bengaluru looking for a job. He was staying in a paying guest accommodation in Peenya.

According to the police, a mobile phone showroom on S.M. Road was burgled. The burglar stole 15 mobile phones and ₹1.75 lakh in cash. The burglary took place four months ago and the only clue was CCTV footage: he had covered his face with a cloth during the burglary, but a tattoo could be seen on his hand.

Sub-inspector Vasimullah, attached to Peenya police station, led the investigation. He tracked all the 15 phones and found that all of them were active in Jharkhand. The police also discovered that one of the phones was being used by a man whose Display Picture (DP) showed the tattoo.

The police waited for the suspect to return to the city. They believed he would return once he ran out of money.

Three weeks ago, the mobile phone was active in Peenya. This time, the DP was different. The picture showed him with a couple of buildings behind.

The police identified the buildings in Peenya and nabbed him when they got information about some men from Jharkhand living in a paying guest accommodation.

The police took Sanjay back to his village and recovered all the mobile phones, but he had spent all the stolen money, police said.