3 held for burglaries in high-profile people's houses in S

Three men have been arrested for allegedly burgling houses of high-profile people, including politicians and bureaucrats, in south Delhi, police said today.

In the last few months, there was an increase in the incidents of house burglaries in Vasant Kunj area and a police team was formed to identify the burglars.

During investigation, the CCTV footages of the area were examined and records of people, who were arrested earlier on similar charges, were scanned, the police said.

While searching for some information on the suspects on Google, the team found information about one Siddharth Mehrotra, who was arrested by Noida Police in 2015, the police said.
 

His face and body structure was quite similar with the accused seen in the CCTV footages procured from various houses where he had allegedly committed burglaries, they added.

After scanning his Facebook profile and latest pictures, the police found a photograph in which he was seen sitting in a Ford Eco Sport Car during a trip to Leh on July 30.

It was found that the ownership of the vehicle was in the name of one Vikas Kumar and after procuring details of the car, the police traced Mehrotra and arrested him on August 15, they said.

During interrogation, he revealed that he and his associates used to sell the stolen items to a man, identified as Jitender (29), who was later nabbed from near the Red Fort here.

Another accused, Anurag Singh (24), was also arrested and a Chevrolet Cruze car used in crime, 11 stolen gold chains, four rings, eight pairs of earrings, two gold bangles, USD 200, one lakh Indonesian Rupiah, 20 Nepali rupees, one LED TV, Sony Play Station, VR Player, a laptop and Tissot Watch were recovered, the police said.

After conducting recce in Vasant Kunj, the accused came to know that in the residential blocks in the area, there is no intercom system between the guards and residents and the vehicles entering the blocks are not checked, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ishwar Singh.

Mehrotra, along with his associate Singh, would enter the blocks and park his car in a safe place. They used to target the houses belong to politicians, bureaucrats and senior officers by reading the nameplate on the main door, the DCP said.

Mehrotra used to ring the door bell and if people came out, he would say that he had rung the bell by mistake. If there was no response, he would enter the locked house by breaking the door or window and Singh stood outside to keep watch.

The police officer said the accused were fond of living a luxurious life and buying branded clothes and also spend the money on high-end gadgets.

Mehrotra belongs to a well-educated family and his father is a retired bank official. He holds a diploma in Animation. He had bought a Chevrolet Cruze car from the money earned after disposing the stolen property.