THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The modus operandi of notorious burglar Jose aka Motta Jose, who was arrested on Wednesday, is the favourite topic of discussion for residents of Paravoor in Kollam. On July 25, he broke into a house in Paravoor and robbed 76 sovereigns of gold and Rs 8,000. Before decamping with the valuables, in his signature style, he went to the kitchen, made an omelette and ate it. Known as motta (egg) given his penchant for eggs, Jose was arrested after local people overpowered him and tied him to a tree.
According to investigators, Jose cooks eggs in houses he breaks into and eats it before leaving with valuables. Once when he was forced to return from a house empty-handed, he left a message for its occupants on a wall poster which read, “Please keep money and gold for me in the house when you leave the residence next time. If not, I will break into the house again even if you lock it safely.”
According to Paravoor police, unlike other thieves, he also used to do unusual things during burglaries. For instance, he used to litter the porch or backyard to distract sniffer dogs. He was in Central jail for the past few years and was released on July 16. A native of Kottiyam, he chose locked houses. During his second attempt, he stole gold and cash and the booty was buried on the premises of his house. However, it was recovered and he was taken into custody, said a police officer.
The police also added that in 2005, he rescued a family from committing mass suicide when he broke into their house. “When he entered that house, a family was planning to commit suicide by consuming poison. They saw Jose and told him to take anything he wanted. But Jose realised that something was wrong and he came to know that the family was under duress and they were about to kill themselves. Then he requested them to refrain from the act after talking to them for hours together. Finally, they relented,” the police officer said. Jose has been remanded in judicial custody.