Kochi: When Sudheer Buhari set out from his home for work in the early hours of March 24, little did he know that he was going to be a ‘super cop’ before the dawn breaks. The 48-year-old autorickshaw driver was sharp enough to sense that his first customer of the day was a thief, and he took the rider to the right place – police station. The episode that looks like a scene from a contemporary Malayalam comedy unfolded in Aluva. 

Buhari’s timely intervention helped the Aluva East police arrest Suresh Kumar, the man they were looking for in a theft case. A native of Tamil Nadu, Kumar wanted Buhari to take him to a place where he could sell some scrap materials. The auto driver grew suspicious over the behaviour of Kumar and took him to the police station, promising to help him find a better deal.

“I reach the auto stand at Aluva Seema’s junction every day by 5 am to start my work. That day around 20 minutes after I reached the stand, a man came to me to hire the auto for a ride. He wanted me to take some scrap materials he had stored under the Aluva flyover to a shop at Pulinchodu. I agreed to take the trip and went to the flyover to get the load. The materials including air-conditioners and a motor were covered with a tarpaulin. I found the air-conditioner to be too fresh for scrap and felt some doubt,” Buhari told Onmanorama.

The auto driver asked the man if he had stolen the materials, which made him upset. Buhari played smart by saying he should be paid Rs 1,000 for the short trip if the materials were stolen. “The man told me he would pay even Rs 2,000 if I took the trip. It confirmed my doubt and I told him I would help him find a better price for the scrap from a dealer I know. He fell for the trap,” Buhari said.

Buhari drove straight to the police station around 2 km from the spot. “I kept talking to him until I reached the entrance of the police station. I also kept looking back to ensure that he does not grow suspicious and attack me. As soon as we reached the station, I handed him over to the police on duty and returned. Later in the morning, SI Nandakumar sir called me and said the man was a thief they were looking for,” Buhari said.

It turned out that the man had stolen the materials from the premises of a private hospital in Aluva. “We had already identified him from CCTV visuals, but we were not able to trace him. The auto driver’s timely act helped us arrest him,” a police officer told Onmanorama. The accused has been charged with theft and remanded. Aluva Rural SP Vaibhav Saxena has honoured Buhari for his timely intervention. 

Buhari has been working as an auto driver in Aluva since the 1990s. He was also active in the Scuba diving team, which helps the police in search and rescue operations.