SURAT: A 50-year-old man accused of stealing electronic goods worth Rs 12,000 in 1995 ran out of luck after 26 years when the Surat city crime branch sleuths nabbed him from his native Virdi village in Bhavnagar district on Saturday.
The accused Bhola Patel had changed his identity and was living as a monk Bhaveshgiri to avoid getting caught. He spent most of his time in temples and ashrams away from his family members, but used to come to Surat to meet them once a year, said C R Desai, police sub inspector, crime branch.
“Patel had come home (in Surat) a couple of days back and we were informed by a local person who knew him. After 26 years, his looks had changed, but locals helped us identify and confirm that he was the same person the cops were looking for,” said Desai.
According to case details, Patel had disappeared with a television set, a video cassette player (VCP) and three video cassettes worth a total Rs 12,000. Patel used to work for Manji Patel in August 1995, who ran a video rental service. When Patel was asked to deliver the electronics to a client on rent, he disappeared with the valuables.
He sold the goods and went back to his native village Virdi. When the cops reached his village, Patel escaped from the village. This happened multiple times. As the cops continued to search for Patel in Virdi for 3-4 years, he decided to stay away from his family and started living as a monk. He started wearing saffron clothes.
