Thiruvananthapuram: A jet-set teenage thief taking a flight for committing burglaries in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram city, ran out of luck on Wednesday morning. Sampathi Uma Prasad, age 23, a native of Khammam district in Telangana, was caught by the Kerala police at Thiruvananthapuram airport. He was arrested by the police when he arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram airport for committing a crime in the city.
The modus operandi of Sampathi was high-profile. He used to book air tickets to visit Thiruvananthapuram for stealing jewellery and valuables. The accused would stay in hotels and was a meticulous planner. After committing theft, he was particular to fly back to his native place at Khammam at the earliest.
Before venturing into the crime world, Sampathi was passionate about scaling Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. He was inclined towards mountaineering before attaining the age of 20. But this upward and mobile burglar was finally caught by the Kerala police when he arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on Wednesday. The accused was wanted in two or three cases of housebreaking in Thiruvananthapuram city. These burglary cases were registered at different police stations in the city.
In the first case, the accused sneaked into a house in the Petta locality of the city and stole jewellery worth rupees fifty-two lakhs and seventy thousand (Rs 52.70 lakh). In another theft case which was reported in the Fort Police Station area, Sampathi decamped with diamonds worth rupees seventy thousand (Rs 70,000) and gold worth Rs 27000.
Police Commissioner Nagaraju Chakilam said that the modus operandi of the accused was to break into a house and after laying hands on ornaments and valuables, he used to leave the city by taking a flight. The police were suspecting the accused would have committed crimes in a similar manner in other states.
The high-profile burglar was arrested by the Kerala police on the basis of CCTV visuals procured from the crime spot. After scanning the CCTV footage at Moolavilakam in Petta locality, the accused was finally identified by the police. The driver of an autorickshaw also took the police probing team to a hotel where the accused was staying.
The police team visited the hotel and took the details of the document submitted by the accused. During the course of the investigation, it was also known that the accused was also associated with Khammam town police station. He was working with the Khammam police on a contract basis for some time.
While working with the Khammam police, the accused learned the nuances of the police investigation. He was applying the same while committing the crime. His knowledge about police investigation or functioning came in handy in hoodwinking the police. The accused after selling the booty used to splurge on visiting tourist hotspots. He was leading a luxurious lifestyle staying in star hotels.
The high-profile thief arrived in Thiruvananthapuram city on May 28. He then went to Veli tourist village. On June 6, he again visited Thiruvananthapuram, the thefts were carried out in the houses within the limits of Petta and Fort police stations. The accused then left the city by air on July 1. On July 5, the police received information that he was coming to the city. The police were in touch with the airport authorities about his arrival. On Wednesday morning, he was arrested by the police.
Also read: Kerala: Thief steals 23 sovereign gold, keeps fake ornaments in place
