NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a key member of the notorious “Thak Thak” gang in connection with the theft of jewellery worth Rs 1 crore from a parked car in Karol Bagh.
Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Cell (AEKC) of the Crime Branch apprehended the accused, identified as T. Sarath Kumar alias Sarat Kumar (31), a resident of Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. The arrest followed sustained technical surveillance and ground-level operations, police said. The operation was carried out under the supervision of ACP Pankaj Arora and DCP (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.
According to police, Sarath Kumar was involved in breaking the window of a car parked in the Karol Bagh area and stealing high-value jewellery, a method commonly used by the Thak Thak gang.
The incident occurred on November 14, when the complainant, jewellery businessman Shubham Kotawala, had collected 62 pieces of old and diamond jewellery along with grading certificates from the International Gemological Institute (IGI) laboratory in Karol Bagh. After parking his car near Durga Park and stepping out briefly, he returned to find the vehicle’s right-side window shattered and the jewellery bag missing.
A case under Section 305 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Karol Bagh police station. A special team led by Inspector Amit Kumar Solanki reviewed footage from nearly 100 CCTV cameras and questioned several suspects before tracing the accused to the Nizamuddin area. He was arrested near Nizamuddin Railway Station on December 15, and jewellery worth around Rs 35 lakh was recovered.
Police said Sarath Kumar is a habitual offender, involved in at least eight cases in Delhi and declared a proclaimed offender in four theft cases.