THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The shadow police which arrested two men for jewellery theft had a daunting task to smoke them out of the under belly of burglar village (Thiruttugramam) at Tamilnadu.
The theft of jewellery worth Rs 12 lakh was reported from a famous shop close to secretariat few months back as an apparent challenge to city police.
They arrested the accused identified as Mitran, 40 and Murugan, 37 from Panavadalichatram at Tiruchirappally. “The suspects had legal help and it required close coordination with local police to arrest them. The suspects hailing from these villagers were hidden in secret vaults when police came for raids,” said Control Room Assistant Commissioner Suresh Kumar.
As per the police the duo, part of a larger group had ventured out for theft after a traditional rituals headed by a chieftain. The chieftain would offer animal sacrifice and would not go out for theft.
The stolen money including the Rs 12 lakh went to a pool. Of this, one third of the stolen valuables were deposited with the chief. The rest will be shared for purchase of luxury goods and vehicles.
The children in the burglar village were given quality education. However they were to marry from same village and become part of burglar gangs.
As per the police, the men would divert the attention of victims by asking for directions, throwing currencies on the road and sometimes by throwing excreta. Often they would run away with valuables found in cars after misleading drivers.
The duo was arrested by a special team set up by Commission P. Prakash, DCP G. Jayadev. Pettah CI Suresh V. Nair and sub inspector I Sagar and Sunil Lal.
