In a bizarre twist to a house burglary case, Delhi Police have arrested a 24-year-old man who allegedly disguised himself as a woman to evade identification by CCTV cameras. The arrest in southwest Delhi's Mohan Garden area has led to the cracking of 10 cases of theft and snatching across the Dwarka district.
The Theft and the Disguise
The incident first came to light on November 16 when a resident of Mohan Garden filed a complaint about an overnight house theft. The complainant stated that jewellery, watches, and a handicam were stolen while he was away for the night. Following the complaint, a case was registered under the charges of theft in a dwelling house of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Mohan Garden police station.
Investigating officers, led by DCP (Dwarka) Ankit Singh, scoured CCTV footage from near the victim's house. The footage showed a masked man and a masked woman entering and exiting the premises. However, 14 days of meticulous tracking and analysis revealed a shocking detail: the 'masked lady' was, in fact, a man in disguise.
The Investigation and Arrest
Using the facial features visible in the footage, police identified one of the burglars with the help of local informers as Saurabh Kumar, aged 24. Through manual and technical surveillance, his movements were traced to the Dabri area, and his multiple hideouts in Mohan Garden and Ranhola were identified and raided.
The breakthrough came when police received a tip-off that Kumar would be arriving at Ambedkar Park in Uttam Nagar around 6:30 PM. A trap was laid, and after a brief chase, he was successfully apprehended.
A Serial Offender with a Criminal Past
Police investigations revealed that Saurabh Kumar is a repeat offender. His first arrest was for a burglary in Mohan Garden back in 2022. He was later arrested again in a case involving the Arms Act and house theft at the Ranhola police station and had only recently been released from jail. In total, he has three previous criminal involvements.
Following his arrest, Kumar confessed to his crimes and identified his associate as one Sumit. He admitted to committing other burglaries with Sumit across the Dabri and Uttam Nagar areas. From his possession, police have recovered a pair of silver anklets, a handicam, and five stolen mobile phones.
The arrest of Saurabh Kumar has provided significant clues, helping police work out a series of theft and snatching cases that had been troubling residents in various parts of Dwarka.
