The police recently arrested a 57-year-old burglar, who targeted only corporate offices in the city.
Last week, the habitual offender, who had more than 20 cases against him, broke into an office of a lead manufacturing firm on Harrington Road, Chetpet, and decamped with ₹72 lakh in cash.
The Kilpauk police began investigating, following a complaint from a representative of the manufacturing firm on Sunday.
An unidentified person entered the premises through the main door and took away the cash kept in a steel bureau, using a key that was left in a file.
A special team of police personnel, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Kilpauk, K. Ramesh, analysed CCTV camera footage from various places in Nungambakkam, Chetpet and Egmore.
After intensive investigation for three days, the team caught V. Pandurangan, of Kovilpatti, at a star hotel in T. Nagar in the early hours of Thursday.
The accused was a school drop-out and was first arrested three decades ago. In prison, he got himself acquainted with a habitual offender, Kumar, and on his guidance, learned to burgle, targeting only swanky corporate offices in the city.
Since then, he burgled 21 places and was convicted in 14 cases besides being detained under the Goondas Act.
The police said Pandurangan stayed at a lodge in Triplicane and reconned the corporate offices. He entered the premises by opening the main door using a screwdriver.
Mr. Ramesh said, “We zeroed in on his whereabouts after analysing the CCTV camera footage. He had moved from the lodge to the star hotel after he got the booty. We apprehended him at gunpoint at the hotel.”
The police recovered ₹60.70 lakh from him.
