Thangamuthu, 74, arrested by Kanykakumari police
P Thangamuthu, 74, a native of Theni, stayed with his sister before turning to burglary after the age of 50, police said. Police said he entered the house of John Mary Margaret, 67, when she left to visit her daughter for Easter.
Investigators said he felt sidelined within the family and wanted money for his own needs. He would then strike in Kerala before returning to another district in Tamil Nadu, police said. Kaliyakkavilai police inspector Parameshwaran said, “I had posted the CCTV grab in a WhatsApp group comprising police officers from across India. “He has close to 60 burglary cases pending in both states together and was on the run for many years,” the inspector said.
Madurai: A Thoothukudi man carried out burglaries across Tamil Nadu and Kerala , moving between the two states to evade police, but finally landed in the net of Kanyakumari police last week following a coordinated effort between police in both states. He posed as a beggar, slept at bus stands and watched potential targets without maintaining a fixed address. After selecting a target, he followed the person to his or her street and studied the surroundings. He checked for surveillance cameras and monitored when residents left for a holiday or were away for a day or two. After a burglary, he crossed the state border. He preferred cash and sold stolen jewellery in the state where he temporarily stayed. Five sovereigns of gold were stolen. Thangamuthu had checked the area but missed a camera installed behind a neighbouring house. The footage helped police identify him and link him to other burglaries. However, they could not locate him. My friends and counterparts in Kerala police department alerted me. A Kerala police officer later informed him that Thangamuthu had been caught during a burglary at Cherthala in Alappuzha last week. Kaliakavilai police secured a transit warrant and brought Thangamuthu to Tamil Nadu. Police recovered four of the five sovereigns stolen from Margaret’s house.
He was produced before a court and remanded in judicial custody on Monday.