THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A tech-savvy thief who flew in planes to carry out thefts in different cities, and an ardent devotee of Lord Parashurama. The story of Sampathi Uma Prasad, a 23-year-old native of Telangana, has all the makings of an action flick (Dhoom 4, maybe?).
Prasad, who hails from Ballepally town in the southern state, was arrested by the Thiruvananthapuram city police on Wednesday in connection with three thefts he committed in the state capital last month.
A devotee of Lord Parashurama — he has tattoos of Lord Vishnu’s sixth avatar — Prasad had come to Thiruvananthapuram to visit the Parashurama temple and Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple on May 28. Bowled over by the sprawling, opulent houses in the capital, Prasad returned on June 6 and broke into three houses later in the month.
He landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport again on Wednesday with the plan to carry out a series of break-ins. However, the police arrested him at the airport.
Police officers said Prasad detested long and arduous train journeys. Hence, he would book a flight, land at the airport, break into the houses he had marked earlier and fly away with the booty.
Police sources said Prasad wanted to join the Army but dropped the idea after getting involved in crimes. Booked as a juvenile for theft at the age of 16, Prasad briefly worked as a part-time volunteer at a police station in his home state.
CCTV footage, hotel staff’s input proved crucial in nabbing thief
He, however, returned to his old ways and was subsequently booked for nine theft cases, the last one for stealing 1kg of gold. He managed to obtain bail in the latest case in March. Sources said Prasad only selected the houses that fell within 5km of the hotel he stayed. “Once he found a house, he would check its distance from the hotel on his mobile phone. He only selected houses whose gates were locked from the outside. He took note of landmarks near the houses he marked so that he does not miss the place,” said an officer who was part of the team that arrested Prasad.
The youth had carried out three thefts in the city – two in the Fort police station limits and one in Pettah – between June 17 and 30, walking away with gold ornaments weighing 12 sovereigns. Proficient in English and Hindi, Prasad stayed at various hotels during his Thiruvananthapuram sojourn.
The police, who were initially groping in the dark about the identity of the thief, got a breakthrough when they tracked down the autorickshaw driver who transported Prasad to the crime spot once. The driver had been clueless about Prasad’s intentions, mistaking him to be a tourist from north India.
After scouring through CCTV cameras for hours, the police managed to get a clear image of Prasad.
“He would hide his face or turn the other way whenever he came across a camera. Sometimes, he would block his face using an umbrella. However, we got a visual of his face from one of the clips,” said an officer.
The police then painstakingly identified the hotel where he stayed and collected his address. However, it was the input provided by one of the hotel’s staff that proved vital. The staffer had heard Prasad, who was checking out, saying he was late and could miss his flight.
The police then checked the list of passengers who flew on that particular date to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They learnt Prasad had booked a ticket to Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. When he landed, they were waiting. Prasad had been confident of evading cops. He was also determined to scale Mount Everest at some point.