BENGALURU: Chikkajala police have arrested a 25-year-old man who used to rob home-alone women on the pretext of conducting a pooja at their house.
The accused is identified as Chethan Sharma, a native of Hassan district who works as a priest there.
Police said Sharma used to contact women who were staying alone in their house through their relatives.
He would manage to get their contact numbers and then convince them that he would perform a pooja at their house that would solve their problems.
While performing the pooja, he would ask the women to keep money in front of him and say the money would double after a few days.
He would then ask them to get some pooja items from nearby shops to divert their attention and would to escape with valuables and money. He is involved in more than four such cases across the state.
Acting on a tip-off, Chikkajala police nabbed Sharma in a house where he came to conduct a pooja.
When he was grilled, he confessed to the crime, police said.