Chennai: A 37-year-old flower vendor has been arrested for his involvement in a series of house break-ins near Minjur. Police suspect his involvement in 20 temples thefts and 50 house break-ins in the area during the last four years.
The arrest followed reports from several residents in the areas of Athipattu, Nandiambakkam, and Pattamanthiri about missing valuables from their homes and local temples.
The police launched an investigation following multiple complaints about burglaries. When they scanned a CCTV footage from a recent break-in at a woman's house in Minjur, a man's image was captured.
The man in the footage bore a striking resemblance to a local flower vendor. After further inquiries, the locals identified him as Purushothaman, a resident of Nandiambakkam.
After he was nabbed, Purushothaman police that he had targeted temples and houses using his flower delivery business as a cover to gather information about the routines of local residents. By pretending to deliver flowers, he would observe when the homes were unoccupied, allowing him to strike when the residents were away.
Purushothaman managed to avoid detection for months by choosing houses in secluded areas, where CCTV cameras were either absent or ineffective.
He also took advantage of the fact that locals did not find him suspicious, as his profession kept him regularly visiting the area. He was selling flowers in the area for the past five years. He was remanded in judicial custody.