Kochi: Call it irony. Mohammed Irfan, arrested for the alleged burglary at the residence of Joshiy, the maker of the Prithviraj starrer Malayalam flick 'Robin Hood', has the sobriquet the 'Robin Hood of Bihar'. His humanitarian activities by spending the pelf - like the hero in Howard Pyle's "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood" - earned him the moniker in his home state.
Joshiy's 2009 neo-noir action thriller 'Robinhood' narrated the tale of a high-tech ATM thief, with Prithviraj Sukumaran, Jayasurya, Biju Menon, Narain and Bhavana playing the main characters.
Ironically, Irfan was caught after burgling Joshiy's house. The accused has another nickname in Bihar, 'Ujala'. He spent 20 per cent of the spoils to meet the medical and wedding expenses of the poor and to construct roads. He had funded the construction of roads in seven villages. After spending on such activities, Irfan used the remaining to lead a luxurious life and has about 20 theft cases registered against him in various states.
More security, more thrill
Earlier, he was arrested in Punjab for committing a burglary in Pune. He then used a swanky car and was with four others. Irfan found a thrill in breaking into the houses where the residents were present. He also targeted high-security areas. In December last, he broke into a house at the high-security MP and MLA Colony in Hyderabad's upmarket Jubilee Hills and made away with a gold chain.
Though a neighbour had seen him, Irfan escaped before more people gathered at the scene. The Jubilee Hills police arrested him two weeks later. He committed the burglary at Joshiy's Panampilly Nagar residence four months after coming out on bail in the Hyderabad case.
Irfan was arrested in Delhi for crimes committed in 2012 and 2017. He used to put the targetted house under surveillance for days before scaling the wall and breaking into it. He used sharp objects to make his way in through windows or doors.
Joshiy awestruck by police efficiency
Meanwhile, Joshiy was awestruck by the police's efficiency in catching the burglar. "I dialled 100 soon after realising my home was burgled," Joshiy said. "I did not introduce myself as filmmaker Joshiy. I just said a house at Panampilly Nagar had been burgled."
The veteran filmmaker said he was disappointed when the control room asked him if the incident had occurred at Puthencruz. "They instructed me to contact the local police, and passed on the phone number of the South Police," he said.
Instead of contacting the police, Joshiy contacted producer Anto Joseph. "The commissioner, DCP, SP, and the entire team reached the scene in a short time. SP P Rajkumar coordinated the probe," he explained. Witnessing the police in action made Joshiy realise that the reel investigations were different from the real ones. "They worked hard to nab the accused. It is not that they cracked the burglary at my residence. The City Police's investigation was a model to the entire force and society," he added.
