A police team led by Manjeri station house officer C. Alavi on Saturday arrested a man who was wanted in connection with more than 100 theft cases in the State.
Abdul Rasheed Vellattuchola, 47, was picked up from Manjeri in the early hours of Saturday during a routine police check. Hailing from Perakamanna near Areekode, Rasheed was of late focusing on petrol bunk
thefts.
Police had intensified their search for Rasheed after he stole ₹5 lakh from a petrol pump at Valluvambram near Manjeri on July 1 night.
Police said he had burgled several petrol bunks and stolen cash after his release from jail on June 5. He was reportedly roaming around Kozhikode and Malappuram districts on a scooter stolen from near Mukkam.
Police said Rasheed would watch the petrol bunks during the day and would commit thefts at night.
He reportedly admitted to several thefts. Married to a woman from Udhagamandalam, Rasheed used to change his mobile number frequently.
Before turning to petrol pump thefts, he used to focus on house-breaking and stealing through windows. Police said he had more than 30 years of criminal history that included burglary, snatching and robbery.
