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Master thief in police net

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: A 38-year-old man allegedly involved in about 100 cases of bag-lifting, including theft of diamonds worth Rs. 80 lakh at Palam airport here in 2005, has been arrested by the Special Staff of the South Delhi police. The police claim to have recovered Rs.18.5 lakh in cash and articles worth Rs. 3 lakh from him and an alleged receiver of stolen property.

The police came to know about the activities of Dharmalingum from two of his accomplices who were arrested in January last year. He, however, escaped to South India. A reward of Rs. 25,000 was declared on him.

Even as a hunt was on for him, a team led by Inspector Rajender Singh learnt that Dharmalingum would come to Madangir on Wednesday to meet a receiver of stolen property, Pradeep. The team raided the place and arrested the duo with some of the diamond jewellery Dharmalingum had allegedly stolen at Palam airport.

During interrogation, he purportedly confessed to having stolen the diamonds worth Rs. 80 lakh along with his accomplices Jaipal, Nagraj, Vardaraj, Jai Chander, Amit and Chinu. The jewellery belonged to Ambrish Kothari, a Mumbai-based jeweller.

A resident of Coimbatore, Dharmalingum allegedly revealed that he and his accomplices lifted bags from vehicles parked in busy market places, airports and railway stations.

They used elderly people or children to puncture the tyres of vehicles and then followed them in their own vehicle. Once the targeted vehicles came to a halt, elder members of the gang would approach the passengers and divert their attention, giving an opportunity to their accomplices to steal the belongings.

The police said the culprits also used a piece of wood fitted with nails to puncture the tyres.

In case the tyres did not get deflated, they would use a catapult to smash the windowpanes of the vehicles to divert the attention of passengers and steal their belongings.

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