Karaikal:
A 54-year old man, allegedly involved in 120 burglaries in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, was yesterday arrested in Karaikal after being caught by the owner of a house while attempting a break-in, police said.
Nagore Pitchai alias Shahul Hameed, hailing from Nandambakkam in Chennai, attempted to break open the backyard door of the house at Thalatheru in Karaikal when the owner nabbed him with the help of neighbours, Karaikal Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Monika Bharadwaj said.
A total of 15 sovereigns of gold and Rs 3,000 cash were seized from the accused.
During interrogation, Hameed, police claimed, confessed he had been involved in over 120 burglaries in various places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. On January 18, he allegedly stole gold jewelleries worth Rs 10.5 lakh from a house in Karaikal.
He used to sell the stolen jewelleries through his friend Dass alias Devadass of Villupuram. He ran a business of selling cashew nuts.
A special police team was working on recovering the jewellery through Devadass, the SSP said.