New Delhi: Delhi Police has arrested four men who allegedly posed as deaf and mute orphans or students and committed thefts for over a year in the city.
The accused would come to the capital from Tamil Nadu by train, roam around various parts of the city, and target paying guest accommodations (PGs) in densely populated areas that house students.
While visiting these PGs, they capitalised on moments when students were distracted, leaving their doors open and valuables unguarded.They would allegedly leave their own phones in their place of accommodation to avoid being traced. After spending at most a month in the city, the accused returned to Tamil Nadu and sold the stolen electronics.
The accused were identified as P Sathyavelu (22), Shiva (22), Kumar (24) and Prabhu (24). They are residents of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Police said they received complaints about burglary and thefts at students’ PGs. During investigation, they found that a gang was involved in the crime.
Deputy commissioner of police (south) Ankit Chauhan said they received information that the four men would come to Press Enclave Road near the Malviya Nagar bus stand to execute a plan. A team led by inspector Dheeraj Mahlawat conducted the raid and nabbed the four men.
“When questioned about their whereabouts, the suspects feigned deafness and muteness, communicating solely through gestures. They presented a letter with entries of charitable donations supposedly received from various individuals, complete with signatures and other details,” said an officer.
A cursory search of their backpacks yielded three mobile phones and two laptops, all of which were later verified to be stolen.
The thieves operated in the early mornings, targeting houses randomly, especially those near educational institutions. They knew that these residences often housed students and had valuable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, iPads and headphones, police said.
The accused would come to the capital from Tamil Nadu by train, roam around various parts of the city, and target paying guest accommodations (PGs) in densely populated areas that house students.
While visiting these PGs, they capitalised on moments when students were distracted, leaving their doors open and valuables unguarded.They would allegedly leave their own phones in their place of accommodation to avoid being traced. After spending at most a month in the city, the accused returned to Tamil Nadu and sold the stolen electronics.
The accused were identified as P Sathyavelu (22), Shiva (22), Kumar (24) and Prabhu (24). They are residents of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Police said they received complaints about burglary and thefts at students’ PGs. During investigation, they found that a gang was involved in the crime.
Deputy commissioner of police (south) Ankit Chauhan said they received information that the four men would come to Press Enclave Road near the Malviya Nagar bus stand to execute a plan. A team led by inspector Dheeraj Mahlawat conducted the raid and nabbed the four men.
“When questioned about their whereabouts, the suspects feigned deafness and muteness, communicating solely through gestures. They presented a letter with entries of charitable donations supposedly received from various individuals, complete with signatures and other details,” said an officer.
A cursory search of their backpacks yielded three mobile phones and two laptops, all of which were later verified to be stolen.
The thieves operated in the early mornings, targeting houses randomly, especially those near educational institutions. They knew that these residences often housed students and had valuable electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, iPads and headphones, police said.