4 from Rajasthan held for burgling shops at night

Those arrested have been identified as Dharmesh, (45), Hiraram (30), Vikram Singh (24) and Ramesh (24). Some cash, two crowbars and a screwdriver were recovered from the men.

The police said that the accused took advantage of the fact that there were a large number of Rajasthani shopkeepers in the area. As they too were from the same state, the accused befriended the shopkeepers and would often visit their shops to conduct recces. The information regarding the shop’s interiors, its products and cash counter would then be shared with the rest of the gang members who would break into the shop later in the night, said the police.

After a spate of shop break-ins in Sowcarpet and its adjoining areas, the police formed special teams to nab the culprits. The recent break-in was at a steel shop which falls under the jurisdiction of Elephant Gate police.

The modus operandi suggested the involvement of a repeat offender Dharmesh who had been arrested for similar offences in the past, and was recently released on bail from Puzhal Prison.

The police said that Dharmesh had relocated to the city from Jalore in Rajasthan about a decade ago and setup an electrical shop.

Investigations revealed that the gang had made a list of shops, within the jurisdiction of the Elephant Gate police station, that they were planning to loot. The police also came to know that the gang had abandoned their plans to break into a shop within the Flower Bazaar police limits after sighting a night patrol vehicle.

An officer said that Dharmesh had limited his operations to stationery and hardware shops considering the volume of cash business involved.

“Whenever people from his hometown approached Dharmesh for loans, he loured them into helping him loot shops by promising them jobs during the daytime,” said the officer.