In pics: The bat cave where Delhi’s petty thieves hid until the trail went cold

The thieves spent their time cooking, drinking and playing cards in the cave until their next strike — with the nocturnal bats and their foul-smelling droppings for company.

Delhi Police detected a cave tucked in a rocky hill close to Chanakyapuri railway station that was the hideout for a group of thieves after they carried out the perfect crime. Almost.

The thieves hid their booty in a large pit deep within the spacious lair in the cave that provides head space for even a six-foot tall man.(Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

The dark, bat-infested cave was used as a den for by thieves who targeted posh south Delhi localities, until they were busted.

The 50-metre natural chamber is hard to spot as its entrance is set at least 10 metres above a steep rock-face.

A veil of darkness cloaks the cave that acted as a safe house for thieves to wait in until the trail goes cold. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

New Delhi, India - April 7, 2017: A 50-meter deep cave used by criminals to hide stolen goods and conceal themselves from the police has been discovered in south Delhi’s Moti Bagh area in New Delhi, India, on Friday, April 7, 2017. (Photo by Mohd Zakir/ Hindustan Times) (Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)

The south Delhi crooks had to climb the hill and use a small tree sticking out of the hillside to pitchfork to a foyer-like opening. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

The floor is rocky and uneven, but large enough for a dozen people to sleep rough.. (Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO)

The cave is invisible from outside, but not for locals aware of the topography.. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

Besides bat litter, empty alcohol bottles, plastic glasses and plates, clothes, blankets, playing cards, empty cigarette packets, and rotting food were strewn about the place. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

The thieves shuffled about in the pitch dark interior with light from their mobile phones. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

The entrance offers a bird’s eye view of the railway tracks below, letting them track every movement outside.. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

When a police team reached the cave on a tip-off, six thieves scrambled into the darkest foxholes inside. They came out after an authoritative warning. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)