A 52-year-old man was caught pickpocketing by a vigilant policeman near the residence of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar in Sadashivanagar.
The man allegedly stole Rs 2,000 kept in the trouser pocket of a Shivakumar supporter. He was caught by the policeman on security duty while trying to slip away from the scene.
A senior police officer said Bhaskar R, a resident of Chennai’s Old Washermanpet, is a habitual pickpocket.
About 7.30 pm on Saturday, as hundreds of the deputy chief minister’s supporters gathered in front of his house office, police constable Hanumantha attached to the Sadashivanagar police station noticed Bhaskar stealing the money. The crowd at the spot wanted to teach the thief a lesson by thrashing him. Hanumantha had a tough time shielding Bhaskar.
When Hanumantha caught Bhaskar, he feigned innocence. But the police constable called a Hoysala patrol vehicle and hauled the miscreant to the Sadashivanagar police station for interrogation.
Police checked his antecedents in the Mobile Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (MCCTNS) and found his history of similar pickpocketing incidents in Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu popped up. Bhaskar later confessed to his crime.
When police asked Bhaskar why he came to Shivakumar’s house, he claimed he was a fan and had come to see him as he had been sworn in as the deputy chief minister.
Since there was a huge crowd, he stole money and wanted to steal more from others, but his luck ran out as Hanumantha caught him in the act.