Gudiyattam man held for robbery, ‘skull puja’

VELLORE: Gudiyattam police recovered cash and consumer appliances following the arrest of a man, who indulged in robbery with a helmet, on Wednesday. The man is said to have committed crimes after he did puja to a human skull.

The arrested was identified as Nethaji (38) of Kallur near Gudiyattam. After a spate of thefts in the Gudiyattam area, a check on local CCTV footage revealed a man with helmet on indulging in the robbery. He would also scatter holy ash (vibhuti) and ‘kum kum’ before decamping with the booty.

CCTV footage and his clothing helped in his identification, while he was riding a two-wheeler near the Nellorpet irrigation tank. He was arrested and taken to the police station where under interrogation he confessed his role in various robberies in the area.

He also revealed that he spent Rs 5 lakh of stolen cash to learn magic in Perumbalur. Later he started practicing magic at his house using a human skull and bones before embarking on any robbery bid.

Based on his confession, police recovered Rs 20,000 cash, a two-wheeler, a laptop, fridge, mobile phones, bronze and silver articles. He was remanded to custody by the court.