Gang used forged Aadhaar to burgle homes in Delhi; Mastermind tracked via girlfriend, held

New Delhi, May 19 (PTI) Delhi Police has arrested four members of a gang of house burglars who used forged Aadhaar cards, stolen phones, and fake identities to infiltrate households as domestic workers, an official said on Monday.

The main accused has been identified as Suraj who manipulated an identity card to enter the residence in Kohat Enclave in north Delhi as a domestic helper and disappeared after a house burglary on April 26, he said.

Suraj was tracked through his girlfriend in Kanpur and was arrested after a bearly 1.5-km chase through agricultural fields in Kanpur Dehat, the police said.

The other accused have been identified as Karan, who waited outside on a scooty to assist in the getaway, Suraj’s cousin Saurav, who helped forge the Aadhaar card using online tools, and Pramod Kumar Soni and Pawan Sahoo, who purchased the stolen jewellery. Soni has a prior criminal history related to a temple theft case registered in Ayodhya.

“The gang’s modus operandi involved using digitally manipulated Aadhaar cards to secure jobs as domestic helpers, selecting homes with minimal security and coordinating escape plans with accomplices waiting outside,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said.

The accused also used stolen phones and SIM cards to avoid digital traceability and switched them off immediately after the crime, he added.

The police said the victim, Gaurav Dhingra, returned from dinner with his family to find his house ransacked and jewellery boxes emptied. The domestic help, Sonu, was untraceable and his phone was found switched off.

A case was registered and an investigation was launched. Despite scanning over 100 CCTV feeds, no escape route was evident.

However, technical analysis of CDR and IPDR data linked the accused to a stolen keypad phone previously reported missing at Mohan Garden Police Station, the DCP said.

Investigators discovered that Suraj had forged an Aadhaar card to get hired. A raid in Patna revealed that the Aadhaar number was real, but the photo had been digitally altered. Suraj was apprehended from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur.

Subsequently, Karan, Saurav, Pramod and Pawan were also arrested and the police recovered multiple gold and diamond rings, pendants, earrings, bangles, and a bracelet.

They also recovered approximately 16.9 grams of melted gold and three mobile phones.

Suraj admitted to keeping three jewellery items for his girlfriend and these were also recovered.

The police said the gang surveyed homes before choosing targets, specifically selecting jobs that allowed full access to the premises. They used digitally secure methods to avoid leaving a trace.

Suraj was previously allegedly involved in a 2024 armed robbery case at Moti Nagar.

Further investigation is underway to identify more accomplices and recover additional stolen property. PTI SSJ RT

Source: PTI