Bengaluru: Three people arrested for several church thefts in southern India have blamed the church authorities for the crime.

They said they resorted to the crime after realizing churches that collected huge donations from India and overseas fail to utilize the funds for the development of the community. “Therefore, I was stealing in churches,” said Alex, one of the arrested by the police in Bengaluru on April 4.

The police at Bommanahalli station in the capital of Karnataka state recovered from the trio a tempo traveller vehicle, 5 cars, 75 grams jewelry, and coins from Canada, England and America.
Two of the arrested were from Kerala and the other from Tamil Nadu.

“The three arrested were stealing vehicles and valuables in churches of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa,” said Additional Police Commissioner Hemanth Nimbalkar.

Jayaprakash, another arrested, was caught trying to sell a stolen car on Hosur road. He provided to the police information about his accomplices Alex and Sujoy.

The suspects confessed to the police that they had also stolen valuables from Vailankani church, Tamil Nadu.

Alex was caught during house thefts as a child and was admitted in remand home. However he had indulged in thefts even after getting released from there. He said he entered the Vailankanni church through the room of Father Prabhakar in Vailankani church at night on March 30. The picture of the suspect going out from the office was recorded in CCTV cameras. The police, who printed his picture, had circulated it in the nearby police stations. Police said that the suspect was not traceable despite all the efforts.

Alex had brought his friend suffering from cancer to Bengaluru in 2011 and after that he remained there and made stealing his profession.

These three suspects who had indulged in vehicle thefts in Bengaluru and outside the state were lodged in Parappana Agrahara jail. They developed friendship while in jail between August 2016 and November 2016 and continued to steal after being released on bail.

There are 15 theft cases against Alex, a seventh standard drop out. Sujoy and Jayaprakash too had stopped their education at primary school level. Police said that more than ten cases are pending against the two. They used to flee without appearing for court hearing after getting released on bail.

(Source: Daijiworld)