LAWRENCE, Mass. -- A growing number of criminals are cutting off or mutilating their fingertips to conceal their identity, officials said.

Lawrence law officials said they recently had a case in which a man tried unsuccessfully to hide his identity by removing his fingerprints, WCVB-TV in Boston reported.

"In this particular case, an individual came in and all 10 of his fingers had been stitched up at the point where the fingerprints would be. The crude surgery, obviously, it wasn't done in this country ... it couldn't be done legally," said Lawrence Police Chief John Romero.

The man told police that his name was Edgardo Tirado, but his hands made police suspicious.

"His story was that somebody cut him with a knife and he was putting his hands up in defense, and the individual happened to be precise enough to cut the tip of every finger where the fingerprints are," Romero said.

A Lawrence detective recognized the man as Gerald Perez. Police said he likely was trying to conceal his criminal record and avoid possible deportation.

"It is going to make it more difficult for law enforcement, but clearly that is a red flag when someone comes in and their fingerprints had been altered," Romero said.

The legendary Chicago bank robber John Dillinger also was said to have tried to burn off his fingerprints. The FBI said it was still able to match what was left of the prints.