In a significant breakthrough, Bengaluru's Jigani police have apprehended a 30-year-old serial offender whose extensive criminal activities spanned three southern states and covered nearly every type of property crime imaginable. The arrest of Shivakumar, also known as Dadiya Shivakumar, has shed light on a sophisticated operation that long frustrated law enforcement across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
A Trail of Crimes Across State Borders
Investigators state that Shivakumar is a suspect in approximately 28 criminal cases. His alleged offences run a wide gamut, including chain snatching, house break-ins, two-wheeler thefts, robbery, and even a murder case. Unlike many criminals who follow a set pattern, police officials noted that Shivakumar operated opportunistically, targeting whatever or whoever seemed most vulnerable at any given moment.
His arrest record paints a picture of a man constantly on the move, leaving a trail of cases in his wake. Warrants are pending against him in more than 10 cases in Karnataka alone. The recent police operation led to the recovery of stolen property valued at over Rs 21 lakh, which included gold ornaments and three two-wheelers. This investigation specifically solved thirteen cases, including two house break-ins in Jigani and two two-wheeler thefts within Bengaluru city limits.
The Tech-Savvy Criminal's Evasion Tactics
What makes Shivakumar stand out, according to the police, is his educational background. He holds a diploma in network administration from a private institute in Shivajinagar. Officers believe he leveraged this technical knowledge to systematically stay ahead of the law. His primary method involved avoiding traditional phone calls to minimize digital footprints that police could trace.
Instead, Shivakumar relied almost exclusively on Instagram calls to communicate with his family and associates. He deliberately avoided his family home in Kumaraswamy Layout, anticipating police surveillance, and instead moved frequently between friends' houses in Tamil Nadu, using Bengaluru only as a brief transit point.
His precautions were remarkably thorough. Police revealed that whenever he planned a short visit home to hand over stolen valuables, his elder sister and her daughter would act as lookouts. They would station themselves on roads leading to the house and watch for police or unfamiliar faces. Alerts were then sent to him via Instagram calls. "These visits were brief and calculated," an officer said. "He would come in, hand over the stolen property, and leave immediately."
The Investigation That Led to the Arrest
The breakthrough came after a focused probe into the theft of a Yamaha R15 motorcycle from outside a house in Jigani around midnight on September 28. Inspector BS Manjunath and his team meticulously analyzed CCTV footage from the area. The digital trail did not end at Bengaluru's outskirts; it extended into Tamil Nadu.
Cameras along routes through Rayakottai, Uddanapalli, and Kelamangalam in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district provided crucial leads. With assistance from informants, police finally traced Shivakumar to Kelamangalam, where he was taken into custody.
With his arrest, Jigani police have not only solved a string of recent thefts but have also reopened a wider network of cases pending across multiple districts. Further investigation is now focused on tracing the channels used to dispose of stolen valuables and examining the possible involvement of others who aided his movements and evasion.
