19 cases in 6 states: How Kochi Police captured ‘Robin Hood’ of Bihar

KOCHI: Driving all the way from Bihar to Kochi and using a screwdriver to jam open a kitchen window, the ‘Robin Hood’ of Bihar was so close to an easy getaway with a huge bounty when some quick action by Kochi Police led to his capture barely 15 hours after the crime.
Muhammed Irfan alias Bihar ‘Robin Hood’ (35), son of Muhammed Akthar of Sitamarhi in Bihar -- who was arrested for the burglary at the house of film director Joshiy’s son Abhilash Joshiy at Panampilly Nagar -- was brought to Kochi on Monday.
Questioning him has led to some interesting revelations about the infamous burglar who has had 19 high-profile theft cases against him in six states.
Reportedly, his donations to the public from his bounty have earned him the moniker ‘Robin Hood’ back home in Bihar.
“Once in Kochi, the burglar had googled for posh localities in the city and ended up at Panampilly Nagar. He had tried to break open three houses in the area in vain before jamming open the kitchen window of the director’s house. The locker in which the gold was kept was not locked,” police said.
Interestingly, the accused’s wife is a Sitamarhi district panchayat council member and he used it to his advantage. The car which he was using had the board of the district panchayat which helped him evade police inspections to an extent, police said.
City police commissioner Shyamsundar said it was a proud moment for Kochi police to have arrested the accused within 15 hours after the crime. As much as 1.20-cr worth of gold ornaments and valuables was stolen from the house.
Irfan is also accused in a case registered by Museum police in 2021 when ornaments worth Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 60,000 in cash were stolen from the house of a prominent jewelry chain owner.
Museum police said attempts were made to get him in custody when Goa police had arrested him, but this didn’t pan out due to the pandemic. We would soon record his arrest and take him into custody after getting permission from the court in Kochi, said a Museum police officer.
The team of Kochi police which made the arrest under DCP K S Sudarshan and ACP P Rajkumar included Inspectors Premananda Krishnan and Richard Varghese. Sub-inspectors Anil, Vishnu and Ravi, ASIs Jossy, Anil, Saneep and Prashant were also part of the team apart from Pramod and Vipin of the cyber wing.
The commissioner said coordination with the help of Raman Gupta IPS of Karnataka police also helped in arresting the accused.