Man held for Rs 1 crore theft in south Delhi's Greater Kailash

A 28-year-old habitual offender, who worked as a gardener in residential colonies, has been arrested for alleged burglary of around Rs 1 crore at a house in south Delhi's Greater Kailash area, police said on Sunday.

The accused, identified as Sanwara Gujjar alias Sunil, a native of Rajasthan, was arrested following an extensive investigation involving CCTV analysis, technical surveillance and local intelligence inputs, the police said.

According to the police, a complaint regarding a burglary at a house in Pamposh Enclave was received at Greater Kailash police station on May 20.

''The complainant told police that the house had remained locked during the daytime and upon returning at night, the family found the locks broken and valuables missing from inside the premises,'' a senior police officer said.

The police said gold, diamond and silver jewelleries worth around Rs 1 crore along with cash amounting to Rs 6.5 lakh had been stolen from the house.

Investigators scanned footage from more than 250 CCTV cameras installed across multiple locations in south Delhi and tracked the movement of the accused for nearly 10 kilometres.

Acting on specific information, the police conducted a raid on May 22 and apprehended the accused. During sustained interrogation, he allegedly confessed to committing the burglary and disclosed details regarding the stolen property and his movements after the crime.

''At his instance, the team recovered a substantial portion of the stolen valuables, including a diamond watch worth around Rs 12 lakh, a Tag Heuer luxury watch valued at approximately Rs 3 lakh, a diamond solitaire ring, earrings, a moon bracelet and several other gold and diamond jewellery items. Cash amounting to Rs 3.57 lakh was also recovered from his possession,'' the officer said.

According to investigators, the accused had developed a systematic modus operandi to avoid detection. The police said he would conduct recce of upscale residential colonies during daytime and identify houses that remained locked for long hours. After selecting a target, he would break into the premises using house-breaking tools and quickly flee the area with the valuables.

To evade arrest, he frequently changed hideouts after committing crimes and allegedly disposed of stolen jewelleries through local contacts, police said.

Investigators further revealed that the accused is a school dropout and had earlier worked as a gardener in residential houses, which helped him gain familiarity with affluent colonies and understand the daily routines of residents.

Police said, Gujjar, was previously involved in a theft case registered at New Friends Colony. He had been absconding in that case and non-bailable warrants were issued against him by a court on April 10 this year.

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