Burglar with over 100 cases, nabbed

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A notorious offender who was allegedly involved in more than 100 burglary cases, was arrested by the Govindaraja Nagar police in the city.

The accused is identified as Karthik Kumar, who earlier used to reside in Hennur here. Speaking to News Trail, the police said that the accused had managed to escape twice from the police custody in 2008 and 2010.

"Karthik first stole ornaments from a house in 2005 when he was only 16 years old. He used to get arrested and after coming out on bail, he would again commit burglary. He would mortgage the stolen goods and spend the money on maintaining a lavish lifestyle and playing in casinos," the police said.

It is learnt that the accused is married and has two children. The Bengaluru Police had arrested him more than 20 times earlier. In 2008, he managed to escape from Parappana Agrahara Central Prison by hiding inside a food van and was caught 45 days later.

Again, in 2010, he escaped from a police van while he was being taken to the crime scene and was caught later. According to an officer of Govindaraja Nagar police, Karthik is involved in more than 100 theft cases that were reported from Kamakshipalya, Hennur and Kottanur as well as in Mysore and Hasan districts.

Police said that Karthik was a swift runner and a good climber. He used these skills in committing burglaries. However, recently, he was stabbed in his leg by his girlfriend's brother.