Patna, Oct. 12: Police today learnt the name of the thief who threw down the gauntlet and dared them to catch him. But that’s that. Monu this morning gave cops the slip yet again. The men in uniform, however, managed to nab his aide, 22-year-old Robert Toppo alias Ricky.

The police said Ricky was arrested early this morning when he and Monu tried to rob an office of Bihar State Electricity Board near Mona cinema. Ricky later revealed the identity of the thief who had dared to challenge the might of Patna police. He also informed the cops that Monu was only 14.

An officer of Gandhi Maidan police station told The Telegraph: “The office of the electricity board is on the ground floor of a building near Mona cinema. A private security guard is always present on the premises of the building.”

The cop said: “Early this morning, two persons first broke the lock of the building’s main gate. Then, they broke open the door of the cash room and stole Rs 1.5 lakh. But when they were about to escape, the security guard, who was asleep, woke up and raised an alarm. The police patrol team in the area rushed to the spot and nabbed Ricky. But his partner in crime, who was slim, managed to escape.”

In the course of investigation, Ricky revealed that his associate was named Monu, who had challenged the cops.

Monu had done to the city police what serial killer Franklin did to detective Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s bestseller The ABC Murders. On October 7, Monu and Ricky had broken into the Patna Medical College and Hospital branch of Punjab National Bank through a narrow ventilator. They tried to open a safe in the bank but were unsuccessful.

Frustrated, Monu left a note for the police that said “Naam: Akela, umar: 25, ghar: Lohanipur, rang: sanwla. Police ko challenge! (Name: Akela, age: 25, residence: Lohanipur, complexion: wheatish. Challenge to the police!)”

Monu, however, had lied not only about his name and age but also his residence.

The police said Monu and Ricky were both residents of Mandiri area under the Buddha Colony police station.

The officer of Gandhi Maidan police station said: “The background of Monu and Ricky is still not clear. Ricky is the son of one Rajesh, an employee of a private company. We don’t know much about Monu’s background. We are still investigating the matter. We suspect he has been involved in other incidents of theft as well.”

The officer added that the police would nab Monu soon, as they now knew his identity.

The cops had earlier said they were on the lookout for a gang of teenagers who robbed banks and other organisations across the state capital. The police claimed that the gang was also responsible for a theft at the Rajvanshi Nagar branch of the State Bank of India.

Hide and seek

Challenge

Cops get a “catch me if you can” note on October 7 from a thief, who tried to rob Patna Medical College and Hospital branch of Punjab National Bank unsuccessfully

The note

Name: Akela

Age: 25

Residence: Lohanipur

Scribble: Challenge to the police!

In net

Robert Toppo alias Ricky, 22, who tried to rob the BSEB office near Mona cinema on Wednesday. His aide escaped

Unmasked

Toppo revealed identity of his aide, the challenger

Name: Monu

Age: 14

Residence: Mandiri

Cop claim

Will nab Monu soon, as his identity is known now