Red light for burn-and-burgle gangster

He had been dodging the proverbial long arm of the law by virtue of his age. A juvenile criminal, known for his fetish for burning down the property he would burgle, is behind the bars — once again.

He had been dodging the proverbial long arm of the law by virtue of his age. A juvenile criminal, known for his fetish for burning down the property he would burgle, is behind the bars — once again.

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The only difference being this time the police will not have to extend him the 'courtesies' they would to a minor criminal. A robust man of 20 years, Sanjay alias Sanju was caught while loitering around the Capital's infamous red light district — GB Road — on Sunday night. His two associates, Suraj, 22 and Nazim, 20, who accompanied their leader, were also caught.

Suraj and Nazim have been reportedly involved in at least five burglaries at Sanju's favourite hunting ground, South Delhi's Sarojini Nagar. Sanju's gang had been christened the 'firebrand gang' for their signature style in which they would burn down the house which they would target, apparently to erase any evidence.

"The arrests of Sanjay, who used to escape from juvenile homes after being caught in burglary cases, and his associates, have led us to solve five cases," said Ashok Chand, additional CP (crime).

Described as a 'seasoned burglar with a fetish for arson' by the police, this is Sanju's second run-in with the law after attaining the age of 18. He was first arrested on February 12, 2011.

After his release from jail in March this year, Sanju, along with Suraj and Nazim had wasted no time in getting back to business and, allegedly, committed five back-to-back burglaries in Sarojini Nagar.

Soon, however, the trio had blown-up all the cash they could get their hand on after selling the stolen merchandise on liquor and visiting prostitutes. "Every time he was detained and sent back to the observation home, he would challenge the police saying that he would be back again. He always kept his word," recalled a senior police officer.

Sanju ran away from his house in Sarojini Nagar when he was 10-years-old. Close to a decade later, he had his own 25-member gang — all addicted to drugs and gambling like him, more than 1,500 burglaries to his credit, girlfriends who loved his tattoos and clearly, no regrets.