Following a theft case reported in February this year, the Railway police kept a close watch for over four months before zeroing in on a 37-year-old vehicle-dealer from Uttarakhand, allegedly involved in stealing valuables from train passengers for the last five years.

The accused, Jitendra Kumar Chawla, is reportedly involved in 17 theft cases across India, four of which are from Karnataka. He was also involved in stealing 200 grams of gold valuables from Shivananda Shivayogi Swami of Kodi Mutt in Arsikere while he was traveling via train in June, 2018, they added.

Based on the complaint lodged in February regarding the theft of valuables worth ₹65,000 from a passenger identified as Shankar Rao Kulkarni, Soumyalatha S.K., the Superintendent of Police, Railways, formed a special team to track down the accused.

The special team gathered CCTV camera footage and identified the accused, who was on the run. The police shared the photo, physical description, and other identifiable features of the accused with their counterparts across the State to keep an eye.

After four months of pursuit, the police finally nabbed the accused allegedly red-handed while he was travelling in a train in search of his next target.

The police said they have recovered 281 grams of gold valuables worth ₹22.7 lakh related to the four cases reported in the railway station.

“The accused, an alcoholic, pawned the valuables and spent the money on expensive liquor and gambling in casinos in Goa,” the police said.