The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Youth held, stolen goods recovered

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Youth held, stolen goods recovered

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, SEPT. 15. A special police team has arrested S. Muthu alias Renganathan of Manamadurai on charges of stealing car stereos and recovered stolen goods worth Rs.4.5 lakhs.

Briefing presspersons here today, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime and Traffic), V. H. Mohammed Hanifa, said that the 21-year-old man was a habitual offender and wanted in 30 similar cases registered in various places in the city including K. K. Nagar, Anna Nagar, Tallakulam, S. S. Colony, Teppakulam, Karimedu and Subramaniapuram and also in Virugambakkam in Chennai.

Following complaints of car stereo thefts, a special team was formed under instructions from the Commissioner of Police, Vijay Kumar. Under the guidance of the DCP, Mohammed Hanifa, and supervision of A. Bashir Ahamed, Assistant Commissioner (Crime), Tallakulam, the team, led by T. Bharathan, Inspector, comprising Sub-Inspector J.V. Sundarararaj Samuel of Anna Nagar police station and head constables was formed.

The accused was arrested by the team near a theatre complex at Anna Nagar here when he was attempting to rob a digital video disc player from one Raja of Maravar Street on Tuesday, Mr. Mohammed Hanifa said. The accused confessed to committing the crime during enquiry, he said.

The modus operandi of the accused was to slit open the rubber beading of the rear windshield of Maruti, Tata Sumo and Toyota Qualis vehicles and remove the car stereos, speakers, CD players and monitors. The whole operation would take just an hour or two, said the DCP.

The stolen goods were sold to drivers in various taxi stands in Dindigul. There were at least 17 people, who had bought the stolen items, at throwaway price. The accused had convinced the taxi drivers that the stereo players were taken from vehicles seized by finance companies.

There were visible fingerprints in at least 15 cases and since the fingerprints of Muthu matched the prints taken at the scene of crimes he was arrested, Mr. Mohammed Hanifa said.

The police enquiry revealed that the accused was earlier convicted in 22 cases for similar offences and interned at a juvenile home in Chengleput in 2000, from where he escaped and was once again convicted in 18 cases and imprisoned for eight months in Madurai Central Prison in 2003.

The accused was produced before the Judicial Magistrate VI and remanded.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Youth held, stolen goods recovered

Around the City

In Madurai Today

Campus Jottings