Three of ‘tunnel thieves gang’ arrested in Meerut
The arrested criminals had stolen jewellery worth over ₹15 lakh from New Ambika jewellery shop on Garh Road last week. They dug a tunnel from an adjacent drain to enter the shop and escaped with jewellery and DVR.
Meerut: Police have arrested three members of a gang who acquired expertise in making tunnels after watching YouTube and used it to commit theft in jewellery shops.
The arrested criminals have been identified as Shabbir, Yameen and Amit of Bulandshahr who stayed here in a rented room in Brahmpuri locality and committed thefts in jewellery shops after doing recce.
Police recovered 2 kg silver, DVR, equipment used in digging tunnels and gas cylinder on their disclosure.
SP (city) Piyush Singh said that during interrogation, the arrested criminals admitted to having learnt digging tunnels from YouTube. “We are interrogating them further to gather information about their network and other incidents in which they were involved,” he said.
The arrested criminals had stolen jewellery worth over ₹15 lakh from New Ambika jewellery shop on Garh Road last week. They dug a tunnel from an adjacent drain to enter the shop and escaped with jewellery and DVR. They also made futile attempts twice in a nearby shop Priya Jewellers after entering through a tunnel but failed to open the vault. They used to select the shops after a recce in an area with minimum police patrolling. A few members of the gang kept watch on the movement of police so that they could inform the tunnel diggers to stop making a noise inside the drain.
The arrested thieves tried to sell the stolen jewellery in Bulandshahr but jewellers refused and thereafter they sold it in Jewar town of Greater Noida.
These thefts had led to alarm among traders who threatened to launch a movement if the thieves were not arrested.
