Man held for stealing air marshal’s revolver

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a man for allegedly stealing a sophisticated revolver from the house of an air marshal of the Indian Air Force, reports Vijaita Singh.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a man for allegedly stealing a sophisticated revolver from the house of an air marshal of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

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Police said the man was arrested when he was trying to sell the stolen weapon in the grey market.

The accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar (23), a resident of Moradabad. Police said the weapon was stolen from the highly secure 21, Safdarjung Lane house of Air Marshal Dhiraj Kukreja.

“Based on specific information we got to know that someone was trying to sell an expensive weapon in the grey market. We apprehended the accused. When we asked him about the source of the weapon he told us that the revolver belonged to a senior officer of the IAF,” said a senior police officer. Kumar had struck a deal to sell the weapon for Rs 25,000, though it is priced at Rs 2 lakh, the police added.

Though the theft took place about two months ago, the air marshal only came to know about it when the police approached him.

“When we contacted him, he feigned ignorance and when he checked he found the weapon was missing,” said the police officer said.

It was then that the air marshal gave a written complaint about the missing revolver to Tughluq Road police station. A case under section 380 IPC (house theft) was then subsequently registered.

During investigations it was found that Kumar’s mother worked as a maidservant at the air marshal’s house.

“Kumar, who lives in Moradabad, stole the weapon when he came to meet his mother. He gained entry inside the house on the pretext of cleaning one of the rooms,” said the police officer added.