Mohali: Burglars who struck thrice at diplomat’s house held

With the arrest, police have also recovered a Canon camera besides silver articles, including five bangles, two anklets, four glasses, two spoons, three bowls and collyrium box (surmedani) and ₹20,000 cash from the accused

Days after three burglars struck thrice at the locked house of a diplomat in Phase 2 and decamped with articles worth ₹3 lakh besides cash, police arrested two men on Friday from Phase 1 area.

The accused were identified as Suraj, 26, of Gulabgarh, Dera Bassi, and Rustam, 24, of Palsora, Chandigarh. (HT Photo)

The accused were identified as Suraj, 26, of Gulabgarh, Dera Bassi and Rustam, 24, of Palsora, Chandigarh. While Suraj was earlier booked for quarrel and assault at Sector 39 police station, Rustam was booked in another theft case at the same police station. Both work as daily wagers and were earlier deployed at a mall in Phase 11 but had left their job.

The accused were arrested by a team led by deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Mohit Agarwal and inspector Sukhbir Singh, station house officer (SHO), Phase 1 police station, using human and technical intelligence.

Accused are drug addicts

A senior police officer said, “The accused did not use phones to avoid being tracked by the police. They used to conduct recce of locked houses in the area and used the loot money to procure drugs for self consumption.”

With the arrest, police have also recovered a Canon camera besides silver articles, including five bangles, two anklets, four glasses, two spoons, three bowls and collyrium box (surmedani) and ₹20,000 cash from the accused.

Meanwhile police are yet to arrest co-accused Sunny of Palsora who along with the two arrested accused targeted the house of an assistant high commissioner deputed in Kenya for Union ministry of external affairs.

Complainant Meenakshi, who works at PGIMER, Chandigarh, told police that while her husband was abroad, on April 18, she had gone to attend to her ill mother in Sector 49, Chandigarh.

After returning home on April 20, she found that her house had been targeted by thieves, who decamped with cash kept inside an almirah. She informed the police and left for her mother’s house at night.

The next day, she found the house broken into again, with silver utensils and other valuables missing, following which she alerted the police again. The thieves returned for the third time around 4.25 pm on April 23, again while she was at her mother’s house, and decamped with taps.

The accused were booked under Sections 457 (lurking house-trespass), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the Indian Penal Code at the Phase 1 police station.