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The arrested accused has been identified as Umesh alias Umesh Balegara (47), originally a resident of Kanyakumari Agatheeswaram in Tamil Nadu.
On August 12, he had broken into the house of Felix Rodrigues, a resident of Kalle, Ajith Nagar, Ujire, and had stolen 173 grams of gold jewelery worth Rs 6.92 lakh and Rs 35,000 in cash. A case was registered at Belthangady police station in this regard, police said.
Umesh was arrested from Hunsur in Mysuru by a team led by Belthangady CPI Nagesh Kadri and DySP Gaureesh under the guidance form DK Superintendent of Police, police added.
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Detailing the modus operandi, police said that Umesh posed as a door-to-door clothes salesman and identified his targets. To evade police he would make calls from phones borrowed from strangers.
Accused was a juvenile delinquent
Police said that Umesh took to crime as a teenager. he was involved in theft as a young 14-year-old. He had already been convicted in several cases and had served jail time. He fled from one state to another after committing thefts. The police of four states were searching for his whereabouts, police added.
Meanwhile, Belthangady police took Umesh to the scene of the crime in Ujire for an inquest on September 28. He will be produced before the court on September 29, police said.
Thefts in more than 15 police station limits across 3 states
Umesh has been involved in thefts cases registered in more than 15 police stations in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh — including Puttur Town Police Station, Sullia, Bantwal, Bunder Police Station, Urva Police Station, Moodbidiri Police Station in Karnataka and Kasaragod, Kumble, Palakkad, Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala; Salem, Dharmapuri, Kanyakumari, Dindugallu in Tamil Nadu and Vizag Police Station in Andhra Pradesh.