Notorious inter-state house burglar arrested from Punalur

Punalur (Kollam): A man accused in several robbery cases was nabbed from Elampal on Thursday.

The accused, identified as Shiju from Vilakkudy, was apprehended by Punalur Police after a high-risk operation. According to the police, Shiju attempted to resist arrest and attacked officers with a blade. His accomplice managed to escape during the incident.

According to police, Shiju is involved in several theft cases across multiple states. He was previously arrested in Andhra Pradesh for burglary and was released from Tirupati Jail on December 6 last year.

Recently, he was linked to a robbery at a house near the fire station in Punalur. The accused broke into the house and stole over a sovereign of gold jewellery. The police identified the thief as Shiju based on fingerprint analysis. 

Shiju is also accused of thefts at the Ayurveda Hospital in Karavaloor,  a house in Mathira, where he allegedly stole three and a half sovereigns of gold, and a burglary at an NRI’s residence in Piravanthur, where gold and cash were stolen.

Having served multiple jail terms for burglary, Shiju was reportedly residing in Tamil Nadu and frequently travelled to Kerala to target locked houses. Police claimed that he would monitor such residences before executing the thefts.