Serial night burglar targeting locked houses held in Delhi; jewellery worth Rs 30 lakh recovered

A 34-year-old habitual burglar who carried out reconnaissance to identify locked houses, struck at night and used under-construction buildings and secluded routes to evade detection was arrested in Shahdara district of Delhi, an official said on Thursday.

Police recovered stolen cash and gold-silver jewellery worth around Rs 30 lakh from his possession.

The accused, identified as Jahagir alias Bhaku alias Shahid, a resident of New Seemapuri, was held following an investigation into a series of house burglaries reported in the area, he said.

The police said a case of house theft was registered at GTB Enclave police station earlier this month, after which a special team was formed to trace the accused.

“The team scanned footage from over 100 CCTV cameras and analysed technical inputs. The accused was tracked down and arrested,” a senior police officer said.

During the search, police recovered Rs 64,000 in cash, five gold chains with a locket, five gold rings, four gold kadas, 15 silver anklets and several other gold and silver items. All the recovered articles have been seized and are being matched with reported theft cases, the officer said.

Investigators said Jahagir, a labourer by profession, had a history of criminal involvement and had been arrested multiple times in burglary cases in the past.

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He allegedly disposed of stolen jewellery through local receivers, including street vendors and scrap dealers, while spending the cash on drugs and other activities, they said.

Police records show his involvement in several cases registered at Seemapuri, Vivek Vihar and Jyoti Nagar police stations since 2011. He was also absconding in multiple cases, with non-bailable warrants and proceedings already initiated against him.