Serial Thief: Man With 100 Cases Arrested Over Mosque Thefts Across Kerala!

Police have arrested a man who is a suspect in nearly 100 cases and had made a habit of robbing mosques. He was caught after a recent theft in Kozhikode.

Police in Kozhikode have arrested a man who is a suspect in nearly 100 cases and was known for targeting mosques for theft. The accused has been identified as Shamshad (39), a resident of Malavayal in Sultan Batheri, Wayanad.

A joint team of the City Crime Squad, under Commissioner A.P. Shoukathali, and the Beypore Police, led by Feroke ACP Premjith, made the arrest. The investigation that led to his capture began after a theft of ₹10,000 from a madrasa office in Chaliyam on June 26.

Police found that Shamshad was released from jail just two months ago. Since then, he has allegedly carried out over 15 robberies at mosque donation boxes and school offices across various districts. According to the police, he has nearly 100 cases registered against him in different police stations across Kerala.

His method was to break open the locks of donation boxes in mosques using iron rods and crowbars. These thefts took place in Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Thrissur, and Alappuzha districts.

Shamshad used the stolen money to live a lavish life. He would first visit the targeted mosques pretending to be a devotee to check out the situation before committing the robbery. His usual tactic was to escape to Tamil Nadu after a robbery and then return to Kerala for his next target.

The team that took Shamshad into custody included Crime Squad members Abdurahman, Hadil Kunnummal, Aneesh Moosenveedu, Shafi Parambath, Shaheer Perumanna, Jinesh Chooloor, and Rakesh Chaithanyam. Beypore Station Inspector Subhash, and SIs Vinod Kumar, Shaju, and Shabeer were also part of the team.