Bengaluru: Notorious car thief Pilakal Nazir has been arrested by the Madivala police on charges of stealing a high-end car worth around Rs 35 lakh from Chennai. Investigations revealed that he had worked as a police constable in Bahrain.

Nazir, 56, a resident of New Gurappanapalya, is a repeat offender and has cases against him in 11 police stations. Police said Nazir used to work as a constable in Bahrain and was arrested after gathering credible information.

He was picked up for questioning and he admitted that he had stolen a Hyundai Santa Fe from Hyundai Motor service centre in Thiru Vi Ka Industrial Estate at Ekkaduthangal in Chennai. Based on his information, the stolen car was seized.

“During questioning, he confessed that he had worked as police constable in Bahrain from 1998 to 2006, after which he quit the job and returned to Bengaluru. When he was caught earlier, he had claimed he worked as security guard in Bahrain, but investigations revealed that he was a constable there,” an official said.

Nazir had earlier stolen brand new cars from showrooms. He has 10 cases against him in city police stations and one in Chennai.