Two notorious criminals, who after committing snatching lodged an FIR of scooty theft to dodge the police, were arrested in north Delhi, an official said on Monday.
The accused were identified as Sumer a.k.a Janulabideen (25) and Saddam a.k.a. Rizwan (22), both residents of Bara Hindu Rao.
The complainant, Goni Shah (35), a resident of Mehta Road, Amritsar, Punjab stated that on September 15 at about 6.30 a.m., two persons came on a scooty and snatched his mobile phone at Lala Hardev Sahai Marg, ISBT, Kashmere Gate.
A case was registered at Kashmere Gate police station and an investigation was taken up.
During the investigation, the police team conducted a technical examination and reviewed approximately 30 CCTV cameras installed in the vicinity to search for any clues about the culprits.
"They subsequently obtained information and narrowed down specific footage. Based on this, a scooty was identified, and two snatchers were spotted in the footage. Following this, the ownership of the alleged scooty was traced, and it was registered in the name of a woman, " said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi.
"With the diligent efforts of the team and the obtained information, the address was located. Consequently, a raid was conducted, leading to the apprehension of Saddam, " said the DCP.
On questioning, Saddam confessed to his involvement in the recent snatching case of a mobile phone from the victim, along with his associate Sumer.
"He further revealed that they had committed numerous similar crimes in the area, " said the DCP.
Sumer was also apprehended, and the stolen phone was recovered from his possession.
"Upon further inquiry and verification regarding the Scooty used in the commission of the crime, Saddam disclosed that immediately after the mobile phone snatching, Sumer advised him to file an FIR reporting the theft of the scooty used in the crime. This was an attempt to avoid arrest by the police and misled them, " said the DCP.
"As a result, Saddam approached his mother and deceived her, leading her to file an online e-FIR on the same day, falsely reporting the theft of her scooty from the Bara Hindu Rao area, " said the DCP.
Upon continued questioning, it was also discovered that Sumer is a habitual and desperate criminal with a history of involvement in 14 criminal cases, including robbery, snatching, theft, and arms-related charges, registered in different police stations in Delhi.
"He is an active BC (Bad Character) of Sadar Bazar police station, who was released from jail last year and resumed criminal activities, often involving inexperienced individuals in criminal endeavours to support a lavish lifestyle, " said the DCP.
"In contrast, Saddam is a budding criminal who was found to be involved in a snatching case registered at Sadar Bazar police station, " the DCP added.