Madhya Pradesh police dog pins down dacoit in the jungles of Panna

Socialite Crook

A man and his money are soon parted, and there exist any number of clever people willing, with judicious use of their brains, to speed up the process. The cruder use coshes and guns, the slicker take recourse to finesse. One of these was a young man of Trivandrum, Kerala, called Reghu, who, from being a humble medical representative, developed his latent skills so well that he earned himself the appellation of 'the thief who came to dinner'.

Like all great plans, Reghu's was simplicity itself. He would go to a party, and ingratiate himself with anyone who looked as if he had the stuff in sackfuls. Reghu could reportedly talk the hind leg off a horse, and the victim would find himself dazzled and flattered by the phrases that Reghu spouted copiously. Reghu would produce a bottle of whisky - his preferred brand was Johnny Walker - and the two bosom pals would sit down to it.

When the victim was sufficiently in the clouds, Reghu would move into action. His medical background had given him extensive knowledge of drugs, and he would openly drop a sedative concealed in a vitamin capsule into the other's glass, telling him that the drug would soothe the effect of the drink on the liver.