How Kerala police blew the cover of TN temple thief who posed as lawyer in home town

A lawyer's flowing black robe seemed the safest cover for a seasoned temple thief. In a village in Tamil Nadu, he led a perfect double life with his wife and daughter. After every theft, he covered his trail but not his pattern. Kerala cops followed this and eventually arrested Saravanapandiyan alias Ramakrishnan, an accused in nearly 17 cases in Kerala and another 15 in Tamil Nadu.

He was standing outside his house in Uthamapalayam, Cumbum, in the advocate's attire when a team of five Kerala police officers approached him on June 9. The officers, from the Peruvanthanam police station in Kerala’s Idukki, were following a trail of temple thefts reported in various parts of the district and the neighbouring Kottayam.

Thefts had been reported from multiple temples, involving money from offering boxes and gold ornaments used to adorn deities. When questioned, Ramakrishnan (39) initially denied any knowledge of the incidents. But as the conversation progressed, he confessed to the thefts and agreed to accompany the police back to Kerala.

As the police prepared to take him into custody, a small crowd began to gather in the closely packed middle-class Tamil Nadu colony where he lived. Neighbours were visibly upset and began asking questions. To the locals, Ramakrishnan was a generous man who bought books and stationery for children in the area and even paid for a Wi-Fi connection for a nearby student.

“It was a tricky situation,” said Circle Inspector Thrideep Chandran, who led the Kerala police team comprising Sub Inspector M R Satheesh, Assistant Sub Inspector Subair and Civil Police Officers (CPOs) Suneesh S Nair and Thomas. “We told them he was being taken for questioning in an old case and quickly left with him.”

The case that led to his arrest was a theft reported on May 29 at the Sree Subramanya Swamy Temple in the Boice estate, Kokkayar. A gold pendant worth ₹10,000, along with coins and currency amounting to a total of ₹30,000, was stolen. Five offering boxes were found broken, while a sixth was missing.

During the investigation, police uncovered another similar theft at the Sreekrishna Swamy Temple in Mukkoottuthara, where money from offering boxes was stolen about a week later. This prompted officers to re-examine similar cases reported earlier in Ramapuram and Erattupetta police stations.

“We started cross-checking with known offenders involved in temple thefts. Some were already in jail. Then we chanced upon the name Ramakrishnan and looked into his history. He had previously served a jail term for a similar offence at a temple in Ponkunnam in 2019,” said Thrideep.

Based on CCTV footage and circumstantial evidence, the investigators noticed that the modus operandi matched Ramakrishnan’s previous thefts. He was also familiar with the terrain, which helped him navigate and commit the crimes with ease.

Ramakrishnan used public buses to travel from Cumbum to Kerala. He chose his target temple only after boarding the bus, making his movements difficult to track. He wore simple dhotis and shirts, used gloves and a mask, and left no fingerprints behind.

The stolen money mostly consisted of coins, which he exchanged at TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) outlets. The gold ornaments were reportedly sold to a private finance company in Erattupetta, which is now under investigation for possible involvement in the thefts.

Originally from Madurai, Ramakrishnan is well-acquainted with Kottayam and Idukki. His father had two marriages, and after the second marriage, settled in Chenappady, Kanjirappally. Ramakrishnan lived there for a time around 2009, during which he allegedly burgled a few shops. "That's how he first got familiar with the area. Initially, he targeted shops, later shifting to temples. At least 14 cases were registered against him during that period," Thrideep said.

Ramakrishnan later moved back to Tamil Nadu. He is married to a practising advocate in Madurai, and the couple has a 10-year-old daughter. “We learned he also has 15 cases against him in Thanjavur and Theni districts. In one case, he allegedly called and threatened the Theni District Collector,” said Thrideep.

In 2019, he returned to Kerala and was arrested for a temple theft in Ponkunnam. He spent two years in jail and was later released on bail. When his wife learned about the conviction, she left with their daughter. “But they are still in touch, and he visits them occasionally,” Thrideep added.

After his release, Ramakrishnan settled in Cumbum with his mother. “It’s a typical Tamil Nadu agricultural hamlet with close-knit homes. Most people in the area are daily wage workers and believed Ramakrishnan to be a genuine advocate,” said Thrideep. “They told us he left for work daily and returned like any professional. He was actively involved in the community.”

When the police reached his house for the arrest, his mother was out working on a farm. “We reached there in the evening. Initially, he denied visiting Kerala. But with sustained questioning, he admitted to the thefts,” said Thrideep.

"We don’t believe he is a 'practising lawyer'. It seems he learned law basics during his previous jail term," Thrideep added.

Following his arrest, Ramakrishnan was remanded and later taken into custody by the Peruvanthanam police. The stolen gold and cash were recovered from his house in Cumbum.