Gang of burglars busted in Srinagar, five held

Five persons were arrested and stolen property worth lakhs of rupees recovered on Saturday after a gang of burglars was busted here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Srinagar SSP Haseeb Mughal told reporters here that a complaint was received at Safakadal Police Station regarding a burglary at a godown in Baghinand Singh wherein burglars looted goods worth lakhs of rupees.

A case was registered on the basis of the complaint and investigations were initiated, the SSP said.

He said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to crack the case.

Mughal said the SIT zeroed in on five suspects identified as Mohammad Yaseen Hajam, a resident of Trikolbal Pattan, Muzaffar Ahmad Dar, a resident of Hanjiwera Pattan, Altaf Ahmad Mir, a resident of Khumani Chowk Bemina, Irfan Nagar, a resident of Sadia Kadal and Serwar Hussain Bhat, a resident of Labartal Budgam.

On their questioning, the officers learnt about their involvement in many other burglary cases including the one being investigated by the SIT, he said.

Stolen property worth lakhs of rupees including copper utensils, electric/electronic appliances and cigarettes were recovered based on the disclosure of the suspects, the SSP said.

The team also seized four vehicles, three of them bearing Delhi registration numbers, from the suspects, he said.

The modus operandi used by the gang was to recce the big godowns or warehouses and shops in the district and strike in the dead of the night and decamp with valuables, especially cigarettes, the SSP said.

He said the gang would take the help of special implements such as bolt-cutters to break open the locks and get access to the godowns without creating much noise.

They acted surreptitiously and used to take CCTVs and electronic surveillance equipment along with them and dispose them off so as to destroy any sort of video footage/evidence, the police officer said.

He said the investigation of the case is going on and more arrests and recoveries were expected.