7 burglars arrested, cops say they wanted to flee to Saudi

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police officials said on Saturday they arrested seven men who were alleged members of a gang that was involved in a series of around 50 house burglaries across Delhi this year. The police said the men were planning to fly off to Saudi Arabia using money earned through the crimes.

Jewellery worth around ₹15 lakh, three pistols with as many bullets, house breaking equipment, and an auto-rickshaw that the accused allegedly used in the burglaries were seized. A total of 20 stolen cellphones were also recovered from them, the police said.

One of the seven arrested men is the receiver of stolen properties, the police said.

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Seju P Kuruvilla said the district’s special staff team received information on Friday that five to six members of Nizam and Rokha gang would be coming to burgle a house in Pitampura’s Pushpanjali Enclave. The team was told that the suspects would be travelling in an autorickshaw.

“A team was formed and barricades were placed at Anukampa Chowk in Mangolpuri to check vehicles. Around noon, the team stopped an auto following an alert sounded by the police informer. Seeing the police team, the seven occupants of the vehicle tried to flee. But they were caught and three pistols with as many bullets were seized from them,” said Kuruvilla.

The arrested men were identified as Nizam alias Nazir, Sheikh Rafiq, Sheikh Anwar, Shabid Ali, Jainel alias Gofra, Vinod Ram, and Riyaz, all from Jahangirpuri in north Delhi.

Riyaz is the receiver of the properties stolen by the six men. The auto belonged to Vinod, said police.

Police officials added the gang had burgled a house in south Delhi’s Defence Colony two days ago. The recovered jewellery worth ₹15 lakh was from the Defence Colony house, the police said.

During the interrogation, DCP Kuruvilla said, the arrested persons disclosed that they mostly committed burglaries in posh localities across Delhi such as Defence Colony, Paschim Vihar, Sarita Vihar, Vasant Vihar, Rohini and Pushpanjali Enclave and preferred to target locked homes.

After committing some burglaries, they used to flee to West Bengal or Bangladesh to avoid the police.

“The arrested men disclosed that they had intensified their criminal activities so that they could accumulate enough money to fly off to Saudi Arabia and start a business there,” added the DCP.