Ex-hockey player on theft spree held

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Ex-hockey player on theft spree held

Sunday, 21 July 2019 | Kumar Chellappan | CHENNAI

In his younger days, Harry Philip Michael entertained sports lovers with his prowess in hockey. He was an instant hit with hockey lovers across Tamil Nadu because of his stick-work, dribbling skills and ability to convert even half-chances into goals. People who watched him play in State level matches saw in him another VJ Philips, Tamil Nadu's all-time great, who was a member of the World Cup winning India team of 1975.

But wayward life spoiled a bright career and India lost a player who could have been a game changer for the country in the international arena. His passion for narcotics, liquor and the opposite sex saw the fading out of the hockey player in him.

During his playing days Michael had deceived many defenders deployed by the  rivals to check-mate him from entering the D-circle to score goals. But he could not wriggle out of the prowling eyes of Chennai Police who were searching  for the master brain behind some of the well-planned and executed house break-ins in some of the well guarded residential colonies.

In order to crack the disappearance of ten sovereign of gold and cash of Rs 1 lakh from the Abhiramapuram residences of two individuals in the month of May, cops had been deputed. Though the investigators scanned the visuals from the CCTV footages collected from the premises where the robberies happened, they could not get figure out the exact movement of the robbers, but one of the cops had noticed the presence of a person on CCTV visuals collected from the adjacent streets in the locality. It did not take them much time to nab the former hockey player. Michael's modus operandi would put even hardened criminals to shame. During the recce, he would find out the CCTV cameras installed in and around his targets and avoid the same at the time of the missions. He made good use of his "skill" in deceiving  the defenders of the opposition side while entering the houses he had earmarked  to rob.

Michael was an expert in entering the 'destinations' like a trapeze artist. He could jump or swing  from one roof top to other like the Superman we see in films. Though he was successful in hoodwinking the CCTVs installed around the houses, he could not help himself from some of the cameras kept in the adjoining streets. These images helped the police to pick him up from the residence of one of his wives. As a commitment to his  Dravidian ideology,  this hockey player-turned-narcotics addict-turned robber had married twice and was pampering both his sweethearts with the stolen materials. The looted gold and cash have been recovered from the two wives.

What helped Police to identify Michael was his presence in the neighborhood on the occasions when the robberies were commutted as well as his earlier stints with the police  under the Goonda's Act and also as a small-time robber. He had served jail terms in the past as a robber and drug peddler.

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