KOCHI: The recent arrest of 11 members of a burglary gang from UP has prompted the police to relook at what until now appeared to be unrelated thefts across Keralam.
Police are checking whether the gang, which flew into the state with the plan to survey and hit locations and fly back, could be linked to past thefts of copper and other materials taken from air-conditioners, generators, construction sites, unoccupied houses and other vulnerable locations from different parts of the state.
The current probe into the gang has shed light on how its members selected targets. Some members allegedly posed as construction workers, while others moved around as telecom technicians. Wearing telecom uniforms and yellow helmets, they allegedly travelled on motorcycles that they sent ahead via train, surveyed locations and noted down safe spots before returning to carry out thefts.
The gang came under the police radar after one of the accused, Rihan, 20, of Baghpat, UP, was allegedly caught attempting to steal from a telecom junction box in Thrissur last week while dressed as a technician, complete with a yellow helmet, and carrying a sack. A resident who grew suspicious alerted the police, leading to the arrest. During questioning, he allegedly revealed the involvement of 10 associates in Kochi and Kannur.
“Initial information suggests that they used different covers to move around without raising suspicions. At some places, they posed as construction workers and at others as telecom technicians,” a senior police officer said.
“They would spend a few days identifying locations and then carry out several thefts before leaving Kerala. Copper from generators and air-conditioners was among the materials they targeted, besides materials at construction sites and other vulnerable locations,” the officer said.
Investigators suspect that stolen materials were disposed of through various scrap dealers. Police are examining whether the movement of such materials and possible transactions with scrap dealers could help establish links between the accused and earlier theft cases.
Police suspect Mohammed Farman Ansari, 22, one of those arrested in Kalamassery, to be the mastermind. The police are examining the arrested persons’ movements, backgrounds and possible links to cases elsewhere. Only one of the 11 has been found to have a previous criminal case; backgrounds of the others are being verified, said the police.
Investigators are examining call records, travel details and digital communications to establish how the accused coordinated their movements. Police are yet to establish how long the group had operated in Kerala, how many earlier theft cases could be linked to it and whether more members remain outside the police radar.