Jangpura heist accused slept overnight in shop

A 31-year-old man broke into a jewellery store in Jangpura late on Sunday, burgled it of gold and diamond ornaments worth upwards of ₹20 crore, hid inside the shop for 15 hours, and then fled on Monday evening, Delhi Police said on Friday, after the suspect was arrested from a village in Chhattisgarh.

The police also recovered 18.5kg gold and diamond jewellery and ₹12.5 lakh cash from the suspect, Lokesh Srivas, and appeared to have cracked an audacious burglary on Umrao Singh Jewellers in Bhogal that left the store owners befuddled and investigators scrounging for clues during the initial leg of the probe.

Srivas appeared to have committed the burglary, said police, who added that they are still trying to ascertain if an insider was involved in helping him plan the theft.

“So far, we have not found the role of an insider, but an investigation is underway,” he said.

Delhi deputy commissioner of police (south-east) Rajesh Deo said that Srivas, who is a resident of Kabirdham district in Chhattisgarh, was involved in several thefts in his home state.

According to police, the burglar broke into the store minutes before midnight on Sunday by accessing the terrace from an adjoining building. He then broke in by opening a windowpane on the terrace, then disabled the CCTV cameras and alarm systems. He then made his way down to the ground floor, where the shop and its storeroom were located. There, he bored a hole in the strongroom’s only concrete wall and wiped it clean.