Wayanad: The Meppadi Police here arrested an inter-state scamster, who robbed tourists after befriending them at resorts, homestays and premium dormitories.
The accused Nagaraj S, 36, s/o Sivanna, a native of Devanahalli near Bengaluru was arrested on Friday on the complaint of a tourist from New Delhi, who lost his valuables while staying at a resort here on March 21.
According to the police, Nagaraj stays in a town only for a day and exits after committing the crime. He books his transportation in advance too. He is also accused of eliciting OTPs from unsuspecting people and making large-scale online purchases with stolen credit/debit cards.
In the Meppadi theft, Nagaraj hired a scooter from a 'rent a bike' store using a fake ID on March 20. He rode to Mananthavadi, where he kept the scooter hidden before boarding a bus to Kozhikode and then taking a taxi to Bengaluru. The police said Nagaraj was nabbed while he was attempting another theft using a fake ID.
The police said Nagaraj has cases registered against him at various police stations, including Kozhikode, Virajpet in Karnataka and Afzal Gunj in Hyderabad. He served a three-month term for a case in Kozhikode but went absconding after being granted bail.
Superintendent of Police T Narayanan said in a press release that a scientific and foolproof investigation resulted in arrest without much delay. The investigation was monitored by Siju BK, SHO, Meppadi and the team comprised SI M P Shaji and civil police officers KK Vipin, Balu Nair, Shabeer PA and Shajahan PM.
