Jailed for 21 yrs, burglar caught again

A 62-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, who spent 21 years in jail on burglary charges, has been arrested again for stealing silk saris from a store.

Yeshwantpur police said they seized 67 silk saris worth Rs 12 lakh from Ravi Shankar, a resident of Chikkabanavara, and seized his auto-rickshaw used in the crime. Two of his associates are still at large.

Police narrowed down on Ravi while investigating the burglary that happened in Vinutan Silks store on September 8. Burglars had cut the window grille to enter the store. They stole Rs 10 lakh worth of saris and Rs 10,000 in cash.

Store owner Naresh Kumar filed a police complaint the next day. Police said Ravi is an old offender who had been convicted for committing 14 burglaries in Goa. He went to Goa 30 years ago to work as a labourer in a coffee estate but later indulged in gambling and got into bad company. He became a thief to meet his expenses and was in jail from 1989 to 2010.

After his release, Ravi moved to Bengaluru and drove auto rickshaw to eke out a living but began committing thefts. IN 2017, he was arrested by Jalahalli police but he walked out on bail in ten days. The accused had been identified from the CCTV footage obtained from the showroom.