KEY POINTS

  • The incident took place in the southern Indian state of Karnataka
  • The man confessed to dumping used condoms at mosques, Hindu temples, etc
  • The police had been on the lookout for this man for a year

The police in India arrested a man for dumping used condoms into the donation boxes of various religious places. His arrest came after a year-long manhunt, the cops said.

The 62-year-old suspect from the southern state of Karnataka littered various Hindu temple premises with used condoms for a year. The temples' authorities had notified the police, but efforts to track the man down proved futile, News 9 Live reported. The man, identified as Devdas Desai, was finally arrested Wednesday after a similar incident took place in a temple in the Korajjana Katte village.

After receiving a complaint from the temple authorities, the cops examined the CCTV footage and fanned the surrounding areas. During their search, they found a suspicious-looking man dropping something into the donation box, and the police arrested him on spot, the outlet reported.

The suspect confessed to authorities during an investigation he had violated the sanctity of many religious places in a similar manner. Mangaluru Police Commissioner N Sashikumar told the publication at least five such cases were registered in one year.

"Five cases were registered at various police stations where used condoms were thrown in different temple premises in Mangaluru. With the help of the CCTV footage, our team managed to nab the accused," Sashikumar told News 9 Live.

Sashikumar said Desai confessed to having littered some Gurdwaras -- Sikh religious buildings -- and mosques in the city, the New Indian Express reported.

Sashikumar said Desai's father, John Desai, a retired government employee, had converted to Christianity, following which the accused also became a Christian.

The accused told the police he had moved to Mangaluru in 1997 in search of a job. His wife and daughter left him due to family issues and he has since been earning his livelihood in the city doing odd jobs. "I am spreading the message of Jesus from the past 15 years. The Bible says that except Jesus there is no other god. I used to drop these condoms as impure gifts must be given to impure places. I don't have any remorse, the god has given us a life of 70 years and I am already 62 years old," he reportedly said.

red-condoms-849407_1920
Representation. Salman Miza, 25, allegedly died after he used an epoxy adhesive - instead of a condom - to cover his private parts during sex. Pixabay