CHENNAI: A modern-day Robinhood – who was looting gold from houses and helping the homeless and poor people for the past 10 years – was arrested by the police on Wednesday.

The arrested was identified as Anburaj of Egmore. He had been stealing from one house in a month to ‘help the poor’ for the last 10 years.

Police started looking for him based on a complaint from Varadarajan. Varadarajan (55) of Peerkankaranai who was unwell and admitted to the hospital at the start of the month returned home on November 4 and was shocked to see the 8-sovereign gold ornaments that were in the house were missing.

After he filed a complaint at the Peerkankaranai police station and the police with the help of CCTV identified the intruder as Anburaj (33), a wage worker from Egmore. Later, police arrested Anburaj and during interrogation, he accepted the crime. Police said Anburaj was involved in a burglary in four houses in Perungalathur in the last four months. He used to travel to Perungalathur in the EMU and loot the gold and return to Egmore in the EMU.

Anburaj would sell the stolen gold ornaments and use that money to buy food and essential needs for the homeless and poor people near the railway station and he had been doing it for the past 10 years.

Police said every month Anburaj would choose only one house and loot the gold and valuables. He told the police that being a homeless man he wanted to help the poor people and so decided to get involved in the burglary. I love to help the poor and it was satisfying me for the past 10 years, Anburaj said to the police.

The Peerkankaranai police recovered 11 sovereign gold ornaments from the roadside hut of Anburaj and he was remanded in judicial custody and sent to prison.

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