Hearing-, speech-impaired thief gives cops a tough time

Officials of the Juhu police station had  harrowing time recently when they were faced with interrogating a 28-year-old thief, who suffered from congenital hearing loss.

However, hard work and clever questioning techniques deployed over a couple of days finally paid off and the accused, Mohammed Salim, has finally confessed.

Having confessed to stealing two laptops  and few other electronic gadgets from  electronic shops, Salim, a Mahim resident, is now in the custody of the Bangur Nagar police in Malad for interrogation in other similar cases.

Investigators involved with the case said Salim was a hard nut to crack. “He cannot speak and hear like a normal person. All the interrogation methods in the book were proving ineffective on him,” said an official privy to the questioning. After much coaxing, Salim confessed to his crime using sign language.

The police said Salim’s modus operandi was simple. He would enter  electronic stores  well dressed and ask the sales executive to show him several gadgets. Being able to communicate using the sign language, he would evoke instant sympathy among the sales team, who would drop their guard.

Officials said Salim would even buy some inexpensive gadget to win trust of the store staff.

“However, when the staff would be busy dealing with the other customers, Salim would cleverly pocket a high-priced gadget,” added the official.

He would then sell the stolen gadgets at a discounted price, thus earning good money. During his interrogation, Salim confessed having indulged in crime in order to supplement his lavish lifestyle.