TN: How a petty thief became a hardened criminal

  • | Saturday | 18th August, 2018

Police learnt that Loganathan had a jewellery business and Kalidoss assisted him in exchanging stolen gold for cash. Police have recovered 3kg of stolen gold and 5kg of silver from them. But this time, he was locked up with Murugan, a hardened criminal who took him under his wing. All of 31, he has nearly 100 cases of robbery, including 87 burglary cases in Bengaluru, pending against him. "Dinakaran, arrested in the city on Thursday, told police that Murugan taught him deceit and tricks of the trade.

CHENNAI: Many films depict an innocent protagonist going to jail after a petty theft, getting acquainted with thugs and taking to crime for a livelihood. The films highlighted a sad reality: Criminals are not born but made, often in the prison facilities that society uses to enforce the law.Dinakaran’s story is similar. All of 31, he has nearly 100 cases of robbery, including 87 burglary cases in Bengaluru, pending against him. He has stolen and pledged several kilograms of gold from houses in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in a criminal life spanning 14 years.Police said when 17, Dinakaran, then working at a movie theatre in Perambur, was arrested for stealing iron and selling it in Ayanavaram. He was lodged at the correctional facility for juveniles in Kellys and after release, went to Bengaluru in search of a job. There he landed in jail for stealing. But this time, he was locked up with Murugan, a hardened criminal who took him under his wing."In many cases, juveniles get involved with seasoned criminals who teach them about the loopholes in system," said Juvenile Justice Board lawyer M Parvathi Srinivasan. "Once the juvenile offender comes out of the correctional home, he reunites with the so-called mentor and engages in other crimes. When in custody, the juvenile offenders have to be guided by the system and their families to shun crime."Dinakaran, arrested in the city on Thursday, told police that Murugan taught him deceit and tricks of the trade. One of them was avoiding mobile phones. The two used wireless sets to communicate and targeted locked houses. While doing so, Murugan gave Dinakaran instructions over the walkie-talkie and kept a watch outside.After his arrest, police collected Dinakaran’s biometrics and sent it to the State Crime Records Bureau which found that he was wanted in 36 burglary cases across Tamil Nadu, including 11 in Chennai. When his details were shared with neighbouring states, the Karnataka police responded by saying Dinakaran was wanted in 87 cases in there.Police have picked up Dinakaran’s associates Loganathan, 55, and Kalidoss, 45, both from Nagapattinam. Police learnt that Loganathan had a jewellery business and Kalidoss assisted him in exchanging stolen gold for cash. Police have recovered 3kg of stolen gold and 5kg of silver from them."It was a tedious process to narrow down on the suspects. The police team spent six months to narrow down on the suspects," said Anna Nagar deputy commissioner of police M Sudhakar.One of the police personnel in the special team said, "It was difficult as they never used mobile phones. They spoke to associates from random PCOs or asked passersby for their mobiles."

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