A notorious burglar, Pathan Salar Khan, said to be involved in around 80 cases of thefts at temples, was arrested by the police in Krishna district on Tuesday.
The accused, hailing from West Godavari district, confessed to have committed ‘hundi thefts’ at more than 80 temples in the last 15 years in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States. He was arrested and convicted in some cases and was facing trial in the remaining cases, said Tiruvuru Circle Inspector M. Sekhar Babu.
The modus operandi of the accused was to stay at the temple for some days, take ‘prasadam’, observe the security at the shrine and rob the ‘hundi’ at a convenient time. He said that he refrained from touching the idols or any other objects in the temple.
Salar Khan was released from jail recently, after which he committed thefts at four temples. After observing CCTV footage, the accused was arrested, the CI said.
