CCTV technician steals cash, caught on cam
NEWDELHI:An electrician who had installed CCTVs at a south Delhi hospital used his expertise to disable the cameras and steal ₹1.4 lakh from the cash counter, police said on Wednesday.
But his “elaborate plan” was apparently not good enough as he forgot to disable one CCTV camera that captured him roaming around with a screwdriver.
That gave him away and led to the recovery of the entire cash from a water tank atop the hospital building, Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (south-east), said.
The arrested electrician, 45-year-old Bhola Prasad, told police he had watched films to come up with the unique idea of hiding the cash after stealing it. “Prasad wrapped the currency notes in polythene before throwing it in a water tank. He thought the money would remain safe and undetected there for a long time,” said Biswal.
The alleged theft took place at Vidya Sagar Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (VIMHANS) in Nehru Nagar around 1 am on Tuesday. The DCP said Prasad struck when the hospital staff was occupied with admission formalities of patients.
When the staff found the cash missing, they approached the police which concluded it was an insider’s job. “The CCTV’s wires were disconnected. It ensured the thief was not captured on camera,” said the DCP. The police questioned the hospital staff, all of whom denied having anything to do with the crime. Prasad’s statements were found contradictory when he was questioned about his whereabouts.
But the police had no evidence of his involvement and began looking for CCTV footage away from the crime spot.
“It turned out Prasad had forgotten to disconnect the wire of a particular camera. When we minutely analysed it, we realised Prasad had been captured for a few seconds. He was roaming around with a screwdriver in his hand,” said the officer.
The spot where Prasad was loitering around led to the terrace where the money had been hidden. The footage helped the police extract a confession from Prasad, police said.
“Prasad was in debt. So he planned the theft a few days ago and used his experience at the hospital to disable the CCTV cameras,” said the DCP.
HT tried to reach out to the hospital for its response, but repeated phone calls went unanswered.
THE SUSPECT FORGOT TO DISABLE ONE CCTV WHICH CAUGHT HIM MOVING AROUND WITH A SCREWDRIVER IN HAND