Hyderabad: Burglar scares city police with AIDS fiction

June 25, 2004

Burglar scares city police with AIDS fiction

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2004 03:01:24 AM ]

HYDERABAD: A burglar who evaded arrest claiming that he was

suffering from AIDS had to finally give up his game.

A man wanted by police for many burglaries, Mantri Shankar perfected

the art of dodging the police by scaring them that they would get

the disease if they touched him.

The modus operandi worked but only until the Uppal police decided to

get him tested for AIDS after they caught him a case.

Instead of arresting and sending him to jail for the thefts he had

allegedly committed, the police had had a soft corner for him thanks

to the tale of woes he weaved - that he was an AIDS patient.

Despite getting clear leads that Shankar, a resident of Chilkalguda,

was involved in several offences, the police were not convinced that

a full-blown AIDS patient could have been involved in the crimes.

But Mantri Shankar could not carry off his bluff for long.

Having learnt that Mantri Shankar was involved in a burglary that

took place at a house in Ramanthapur, Uppal inspector M Sivarama

Krishna ordered a special police team working with him to catch

Shankar.

The team traced Shankar without much difficulty and brought him to

the inspector. When Shankar pleaded with the police that he had AIDS

and be let off, the inspector sent him for a medical examination to

a nearby diagnostic centre.

His blood sample tested negative for AIDS.

The police grilled Shankar over the report. Initially he insisted

that he was indeed an AIDS patient and that the medical report was

false. After yet another round of questioning, Shankar told the

truth - that he had no AIDS.

He later confessed to the Uppal police that he had committed

burglaries at Malakpet, Osmania University and Amberpet.

Stolen property worth a few thousands was recovered from him but he

had spent a large portion of the booty.

Police sources said the east zone police had detained him for three

days a few months ago. He had been let off after he pleaded with the

officers that he was not well.

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