Delhi-based burglars involved in several break-ins held

The police have arrested two criminals from Delhi, involved in several burglary cases in the city since 2014.

The men are also accused, by five jewellery shop owners in Delhi's Chor Bazaar area, of buying stolen valuables.

The Jeevanbhima Nagar police arrested Harman Khan alias Sonu (27), a resident of Meena Bazaar in Delhi, and his associate Aashish (28), also a resident of Delhi. The police said jewellery worth Rs 45 lakh, including 2 kg gold and silver ornaments, was recovered from them.

A senior police officer said Sonu was involved in 40 burglary cases in the city since 2014 in Ashok Nagar, Ramamurthy Nagar, Byappanahalli, Banaswadi, Rajajinagar, Jeevanbhima Nagar and Mico Layout police station limits.

Sonu would arrive in Chennai by flight and travel by road to Bengaluru. Posing as a student, he would rent rooms in five star hotels and service apartments and go around the city, slinging a backpack and carrying notebooks. He would identify locked houses and press the calling bell. If no one answered the bell, he would break in and steal the valuables.

Sonu would prepare fake bills to present before customs officials during security checks at the airport. He would sell the stolen jewels to the shop owners in Delhi's Chor Bazaar.

Last year, Aashish joined Sonu and they started burgling several homes in the city. They were captured on CCTV camera while looting a house in Jeevanbhima Nagar. The police sent the footage to the other stations and got information from the Ashok Nagar police that they had arrested Sonu in a burglary case in 2014.

Since Sonu changed his SIM card every time he burgled a house, the police were unable to trace him using a tower dump. But they recently caught Aashish, who roamed the roads after consuming alcohol. Based on a mix of interrogation and facial recognition on the available video footage, they arrested Aashish.

Aashish gave Sonu's phone number to the police, based on which they went to Delhi and arrested him.