Engg student among four held for multiple thefts

New Delhi: South East Delhi Police on Sunday said they have arrested three men, whose indulgent lifestyle, addiction to alcohol and ganja, and extravagant lifestyle meant to impress their girlfriends led them to commit a series of thefts and burglaries.

Police said the accused were identified as air conditioning mechanic Mohammad Faim (24), painter Mohammad Naim (23), civil engineering student Raza-ul-Mustafa (22) and Rahul Sharma (35), all of whom were arrested from Okhla Mandi bus stand.

Deputy Commissoner of Police (South East) Chinmoy Biswal on Sunday said that accused persons have a criminal record.

"Accused Naim used to work as whitewasher painter and around four to five years ago, he had whitewashed the house of Faim in Jamia Nagar. From their, they became thick friends. Raza-ul- Mustafa is the neighbour of Faim and he too developed a friendship with Naim," said the DCP.

Faim used to earn a modest income working as an AC mechanic and the urge to live a lavish lifestyle and impress girls pushed him to committing burglaries.

Meanwhile, Raza-ul-Mustafa, who is currently pursuing his four-year in a Diploma in Civil Engineering.

Police claimed that the accused would plan burglaries in advance and would enter into houses and shop by breaking open doors, windows or any other possible entry points by using housebreaking tools.

They used to cover their faces with cloth to rule out any possibility of identification, in case CCTV cameras would be installed in the targetted places.

They had also stolen a bike, which proved to be quite handy during their burglary attempts and too flee away, if someone attempted to catch them.

All three youth have previously been arrested in several cases of thefts and burglaries.

They used to sell stolen laptops and other articles at Nehru Place to Rahul Sharma.

"Accused Sharma disclosed that he learned the art of pirating of the CDs and started selling pirated CDs. Subsequently, he was arrested in a copyright case in 2004," police said.

"Efforts are going on for further recoveries and to arrest their associate Asgar Ali and receiver of the stolen articles. Further investigation of the case is in progress," said police.