Habitual thief who stole from over 1000 temples arrested, robbed from five places in same day

KATTAPPANA: The police have arrested a notorious thief involved in 1000 temple thefts. 43-year-old Sajeesh of Kottarappattuveetil in Kalady, Malappuram is in police custody. He started stealing at the age of 20 and has been jailed several times. Yesterday, Sajeesh arrived at Comfort station in Kattappana bus stand to exchange notes and the special squad officer became suspicious of his behaviour and observed him. Later he was taken into custody and was questioned. That is how the information about the thefts came out. During the inspection, bundles of currency notes and several bike keys were found in his bag.

First, he steals a bike from the area near the temple where the theft is planned. After parking the vehicle at the railway station or bus stand, he keeps the key, so that he can use them to escape if he commits theft in the same area again. He mainly steals from Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur and Palakkad districts. Many cases have been registered against him in many stations here. He was released from prison last July and continued to commit burglary in several temples. The money from these thefts were found inside his bag.

The police say that stealing alone is his style. He uses the robbed money to lead a luxurious life. When he run out of money, he steals again. He lived in various places pretending as a sales executive in a private ayurvedic medicine company. He has stolen from five temples in Kozhikode in a day.