Deaf-mute burglar held

The suspect, identified as Mark, had hidden the stolen cash in a tree along with his dresses near Triplicane MRTS railway station. Police said that he is a habitual offender and was out of prison only last week. He was arrested for a similar offence in Mylapore in 2014.

The burglary took place on Saturday night near Mundagakanni Amman Temple and six shops were broken open and about Rs 60,000 was reported missing from two shops – a PDS shop and a bakery.

Police identified the suspect with the help of the CCTV footage retrieved from the locality and launched a hunt for him. A special team traced him to Walltax Road on Monday morning. Police said that Mark would only steal money and wouldn’t touch anything else, as one of the shops he broke open on Saturday night was a mobile phone showroom and all the phones were intact.

Mark is said to be a nomad and would change his place of stay often. His background is not clear. When inquired about his hometown, Mark made different gestures indicating different cities, said police. Sources said that Mark would also buy food for deaf and dumb people whenever he gets a chance. Mark has been remanded in judicial custody.