MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Police have detained a man suspected of burglarizing some 20 homes in central Russia, the Interior Ministry reported Saturday.

The man was caught shortly after he broke and entered a private house in the city of Penza and was confronted by its owner. The burglar used a taser and tried to flee, the ministry said in a statement.

It did not say when the detention was made.

Preliminary investigation established that the man, 30, with a previous criminal record has committed at least 19 burglaries in Penza.

He followed the same pattern, breaking and entering private homes through plastic windows, and stealing cash and jewelry, the ministry said.