2 Delhi jewellery heist suspects caught in Chhattisgarh with 17kg gold, cash

Police said the two were arrested in a different theft case by the Bilaspur police who learnt about their alleged role in the Bhogal burglary during questioning

NEW DELHI: Two men who allegedly pulled off the dramatic heist at a jewellery store in south Delhi’s Bhogal area on Sunday night have been arrested in Chhattisgarh, police said on Friday. A senior police officer said most of the stolen gold and cash, estimated to be upwards of ₹20 crore, has been recovered from the suspects.

A view outside Umrao Singh Jewelers shop where jewellery worth more than ₹20 crore were stolen from the shop at Bhogal Market in New Delhi (HT File Photo)

The two have been identified by the police as Lokesh Srivas (24) and Shiva Chandravanshi (23).

A Delhi police officer said the two were arrested by the police in Bilaspur district, 100km from Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, in connection with some pending cases. They have a criminal record and had been arrested twice by the state police in the past.

It was only during their interrogation that the police learnt about their alleged role in the burglary at Umrao Singh Jewellers and recovered 17 kilograms of gold and ₹12.50 lakh in cash.

The officer said a police team from Delhi, which had been able to identify and track down the two suspects to Bilaspur, also reached Chhattisgarh on Thursday evening.

The second officer said the two men will be brought to Delhi after getting transit remand from a local court.

“After their custodial interrogation, we’ll able to find more details about the heist,” he added.

According to the police, a group of thieves struck a little before midnight on Sunday by accessing the terrace from an adjoining building, opening a glass pane on the top floor to gain access, and then disabling the CCTVs and alarm systems before drilling a hole in the strong box located in the showroom on the ground floor to steal gold and diamond jewellery.