Gang of thieves, jeweller busted in Chandigarh
The trio after stealing jewellery from houses used to sell them to jeweller in Mohali.
The crime branch of the Chandigarh Police on Saturday busted a gang with the arrest of three burglars and one jeweller, solving 16 cases of house thefts in the city.
Gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh in cash have been recovered from the accused.
Cops said among those arrested, Jagdeep Singh, 24, of Ambala is a taxi driver; Ashok Kumar, 27, is an auto driver; and Shankar Thapar, 28, of Palsora, works for a catering firm.
The trio after stealing jewellery from houses used to sell them to jeweller Gurminder Singh, 54, of Phase 1, Mohali.
Investigators said the three accused met through a common friend, Manir, who was lodged in Patiala Jail with Jagdeep. After being introduced, they formed a gang to burgle locked houses.
“This gang had struck atthe house of Punjabi singer Satinder Sartaj in Sector 34. Entering the house, they realised it was an office. So afraid thatthey had been recorded by the CCTV cameras, they stole the DVR, which has been recovered,” superintendent of police (SP) crime branch RaviKumar said.
“The gang members had also stolen keys of luxurious BMW cars, and were planning to steal them. We have recovered five car keys. One of them belonged to Dr Vikram whose house in Sector 36 had been burgled,” he said.
Theft in Mohali
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) crime branch Pawan Kumar said, “The gang members had stolen a double barrel gun, a camera and other gold items from a Phase 11 house in Mohali. During interrogation, Ashok revealed that he had given the gun to someone in Ayodhaya, Uttar Pradesh.”
Lure of luxury pulled them into crime
A taxi driver, Jagdeep, has two cars, a Maruti Baleno and a Maruti Alto. He would conduct recces in posh areas of city, looking for locked houses during the day. The trio would later assemble and break into the houses. From the money obtained by selling the booty, comprising jewellery and other valuables, they purchased luxurious products, clothes and liquor.
Inspector Amanjot Singh said all accused were history sheeters and had been arrested previously.
”Jagdeep was arrested in a cheating case and remained in Patiala Jail, whereas Shankar was lodged in Burail Jail in a theft case. Ashok has also served time in Ropar jail in a theft case.”