Pathanamthitta: The Pathanamthitta police arrested a notorious thief who had been living in disguise, evading the law for 15 years after faking his death on a cashew farm near Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. The accused, identified as Chandran alias Pandi Chandran (52), is infamous for conducting robberies in Sabarimala.

Originally, a native of Thazham village near Malayalapuzha, Chandran relocated to Tamil Nadu several years ago and is a repeat offender wanted in at least four cases, police said. 

Chandran was apprehended during a special operation conducted under the direction of Pathanamthitta District Police Chief V G Vinod Kumar, to arrest those with long-pending warrants.

The police made a breakthrough by tracing Mohanan Nair, a resident of Malayalapuzha, who had acted as Chandran's guarantor in one of his cases. Mohanan told police that Chandran hung himself to death at a cashew farm near Tiruchirapalli.

Meanwhile, Rajith P Nair, a civil police officer at the Pathanamthitta police station, received information that a man named Chandran from Tamil Nadu was working in one of the hotels in Sabarimala. Further investigation revealed that Chandran's elder son was living in Muthukalum near Kayamkulam, prompting the police to discreetly inquire about his whereabouts.

Acting on a tip-off that Chandran was sleeping outside his son's house, a police team led by Pathanamthitta Sub-Inspector Jinu arrived at the location around midnight on Tuesday. Although they initially came up empty-handed, a follow-up search in the area led them to arrest Chandran at the Kanakakunnu boat jetty around 3.15 am.

During interrogation, Chandran revealed he had spent years in disguise. He had established a routine of conducting thefts in Sabarimala, where he worked seasonally in hotels under different identities. Skilled in making porottas, he used these jobs as a cover before vanishing after each robbery.

Chandran, who turned violent and resisted the arrest, was eventually overpowered by the police team. The investigation team, led by DYSP S Nandakumar, included Inspector Shibukumar, Sub-Inspectors Ginu, Shiju P Sam, Rajesh Kumar, SCPO Vijeesh, and CPOs Renjith, Rajesh, and Syed Ali.