Babajan, a 35-year-old man with three wives and nine children, resorted to burglary to fund his lifestyle. He involved his 16-year-old son in the crimes, exploiting the leniency of the law towards minors.

BENGALURU: Married to three women and having no steady job, he made a living by burgling houses. The 35-year-old was in need of a hand, for which he turned to none other than his minor son. With his 16-year-old son as a partner in crime, Babajan burgled several houses. However, their luck ran out recently when Electronics City police swung into action. The duo came under the scanner of police following their involvement in a burglary committed in the house of 56-year-old Rojamma in Bettadasanapura on May 7. They had stolen valuables worth Rs 4.6 lakh from her house when she had gone to the terrace to dry clothes. Babajan, who has spent the last eight years slipping in and out of homes and police stations, has nine children (eight daughters and one son). His wives live separately in Srirangapatna, Anekal, and Chikkaballapura and he used to visit each of them according to his convenience. Desperate to fund this chaotic domestic life, he took up burglary as his profession, police said.Babajan would find houses that are left open or doors unlocked, watch for women distracted on terraces or chatting with neighbours, and strike. But as police scrutiny grew tighter, Babajan pulled a page from a shady family handbook; he roped in his son as a partner after learning that minors would not face punishment for longer duration and not be thrown into the jail with hardened criminals. Together, they formed a dream team. Babajan would drop off his son near potential targets and scout for easy pickings. Police said Babajan signalled the teenager to dash in when Rojamma went to the terrace after leaving her ground-floor door open. The son searched the almirah and vanished with gold earrings, silverware, and cash in 20 minutes.Their crime spree came to an end on May 13 when police inspector Naveen GM and his team caught Babajan in Mylasandra after identifying them with the help of CCTV footage. Babajan told police how he trained his son as the perfect sidekick for daylight heists. Police have since recovered 188 grams of gold, 550 grams of silver, and a two-wheeler in connection with nine separate theft cases.