‘He said he will strike again, soon’

Seven years after his first ‘burglary’ in 2002, this 17-year-old leads a 25-member gang involved in several burglaries in Delhi over the last few years, police said, reports HT Correspondent

He allegedly committed his first crime when he was only 10 years old.

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Seven years after his first ‘burglary’ in 2002, this 17-year-old leads a 25-member gang involved in several burglaries in Delhi over the last few years, police said.

The gang’s modus operandi — target homes of middle and senior government officials in south Delhi and set the house on fire to destroy evidence.

On Tuesday, the 17-year-old’s luck ran out and he was detained by Delhi police and sent to a juvenile home. Police also arrested his 20-year-old associate, Sanjay alias ‘Dai’.

But the juvenile does not have any regrets and admits that he has, on his own, robbed 1,500 houses since 2002.

“I’ve robbed about 1,500 houses,” he told HT, even as he insisted that he didn’t indulge in arson. On October 9, HT was the first to report about this gang.

Police said most members of this juvenile gang are allegedly addicted to marijuana, liquor and ink eraser fluid, police said.

HGS Dhaliwal, Deputy Commissioner of Police, south Delhi, said, “This group had indulged in most burglaries reported in the recent past from Laxmi Bai Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Kotla Mubarakpur, RK Puram and East Kidwai Nagar.”

“In all, the group has been involved in more than 100 incidents of thefts and burglaries.”

Dhaliwal said that the juvenile’s accomplice, Sanjay of Sarojini Nagar, was apprehended on June 13 for allegedly committing burglary and arson in Sarojini Nagar.

The group had allegedly burgled a property dealer’s Laxmi Bai Nagar house on December 10 and set it on fire, police said. The official was away in Punjab.

“Both Sanjay and his juvenile accomplice were caught from Lodhi Road,” said Dhaliwal.

The police said the gang used to set the burgled homes on fire for several reasons.

“They basically sought to destroy all evidence, especially their fingerprints,” said a senior police official.

“They believed setting fire to the homes was a good omen and also they wanted to create a separate identity for themselves.”

The juvenile has an elder sister and an alcoholic father.

“Every time he is apprehended, he challenges the police,” said a senior police officer about the juvenile offender, requesting anonymity.

“This time too he said he would strike again, soon.”