Burglars who struck at over 50 houses, wearing business suits, held in Noida

Investigators traced the suspects by scanning CCTV footage from at least 1,200 cameras across Gautam Budh Nagar, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab

The Gautam Budh Nagar police on Monday arrested two people wanted in over 50 cases of burglaries reported from nearby cities and said they were part of a gang that targeted locked homes in upscale localities and carried out the crime wearing formal business suits in order to evade suspicion.

The suspects have been identified as Sirajuddin, 36, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase 3, Delhi, and Shahzad, 32, a resident of Khanauri town in Sangrur, Punjab. They wore formal suits to appear like businessmen while committing robberies and thefts to evade suspicion. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to Shakti Avasthy, additional deputy commissioner of police, Noida, investigators traced the suspects by scanning CCTV footage from at least 1,200 cameras across Gautam Budh Nagar, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.

The suspects have been identified as Sirajuddin (36), a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase 3, Delhi, and Shahzad (32), a resident of Khanauri town in Sangrur, Punjab.

“On July 6, a retired government official’s house in Arun Vihar township, in Noida’s Sector 37, was burgled and gold jewellery worth ₹6 lakh was stolen. An FIR was registered at the Sector 39 police station against unknown suspects and an investigation was launched,” he said.

“During the investigation, it was found that the suspects have a unique modus operandi to evade suspicion -- they wore formal suits to appear like businessmen. They changed their vehicle while fleeing -- mostly they came in a car and fled on a scooter,” said the ADCP.

“On the basis of electronic surveillance and intelligence inputs, the two suspects were arrested on Monday from Sector 37 public washroom. Upon identification, it was found that the two suspects have over 50 cases of theft and robbery registered against them in various police stations of Ghaziabad, Haryana, Delhi and Punjab. The suspects have also committed five thefts in various sectors of Noida previously. At the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad, they have been booked under the Gangster Act and the two have been to jail as well. They were out on bail currently. The gang has been active since the past eight years,” said Avasthy.

The ADCP said, “The police recovered gold jewellery worth ₹4.8 lakh from the suspects, besides a countrymade pistol with live cartridges, one scooter used in the commission of crime and iron equipment used to break house locks.”

Rajneesh Verma, assistant commissioner of police-1, Noida, said, “The suspects are part of a gang of about seven to eight people. One of the suspects’ wife is also a part of the gang and, during questioning, we got to know that a part of the stolen gold jewellery is with her. Investigators are working to nab the other members of the gang.”

Avasthy said the Gautam Budh Nagar police will book the suspects under Gangster Act. “Taking cognizance of the notoriety of the gang, we will implement provisions of Gangster Act to book the two suspects. Currently, the suspects have been booked under sections of theft of the Indian Penal Code. They were produced before a magistrate and sent to judicial custody on Monday,” said Avasthy.