‘Robin Hood of Bihar’ breaks into the house of ‘Robin Hood’ director

Patna: Mohammed Irfan (34) may have no idea it was the house of movie director Johiy, whose 2009 movie ‘Robin Hood’ starring Prithviraj Sukumaran tells the story of a clever thief like Irfan.

Irfan, who is known to be the Robin Hood of Bihar, broke into the director’s house using just a screwdriver, and made away with gold and diamond jewellery worth around Rs 1 crore, The Indian Express reported.

Mohammed Irfan came to Kerala driving all the way from Bihar after pinning down on “posh areas in Kochi” on Google.

He unsuccessfully tried two houses around midnight on Friday before targeting the movie director’s house.

Within 15 hours after the burglary, Kochi police tracked him down to Karnataka’s Udupi and was brought to Kochi on Monday.

A magistrate court sent him to police custody for three days.

Police were able to track him down after an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera spotted his vehicle with Maharashtra registration, according to Kochi City Police Commissioner S Syamsundar.

‘He used a screwdriver to break into the house through a window without crossbars. The safe at the house was open, so it was easy for him to take the ornaments,” he said.

“He uses only a screwdriver… his car did not have any weapon when it was seized in Udupi. As per our information, Irfan is involved in 19 cases in six states. He had been jailed on a few occasions, most recently in Goa,’ the commissioner reportedly said.

Back in his village of Garha Jogia, located in in the Pupri area of Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, he is known to be a man helping the poor.

Irfan engaged in social service, paying wedding expenses and medical bills of the poor.

The residents in the village reportedly said that Irfan helped repair roads, and drains.

Between 2016 and 2021 he was the mukhiya of Pupri’s Manikpur Mushaharniya panchayat.

In 2021, his wife was elected to the Zila Parishad from Pupri.

“Irfan faced several cases of gold theft in other states, but he was not involved in any major case in Bihar. He used to sell jewellery at the local level,” a Sitamarhi police officer was quoted as saying.

Irfan arrived in Kochi driving from Bihar in a car with the name plate “District Panchayat President”.

Police got a blurry image of the Irfan’s car initially after the theft at Joshiy’s house was reported, Kochi’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, K S Sudarsan, reportedly said.

The DCP reportedly added that Irfan reached Kochi hours before the theft having left Bihar a week ago.

“He was involved in another theft in Thiruvananthapuram in 2021. Police had identified him as the culprit, but at the time, he could not be arrested,” he reportedly said.