There are burglars, and then there are burglars. The duo of Mohammed Irfan Akhtar Shaikh and Mohammed Mahroof Matiur Ali built great repute in their hometown Pupri, Bihar, Dist – Sitamarhi having parted with chunks of their stolen booty to fund weddings of women from financially weak families.
By themselves, the duo drove around in a Mercedes Benz, lodged at luxury hotels, and partied in Goa to celebrate a range of successful burglaries. However, the wealth was never theirs to spend or give away. Over the years, the duo have burgled at Delhi, NCR, Pune and Bombay. In fact, two years earlier, they were arrested by Delhi Police, and were released on bail. Following their arrest and subsequent release, the duo shifted to Bombay and targeted areas in the city, Thane, and in Navi Mumbai.
Brazen in attitude, the duo have recounted what they consider to be sizeable heists, 8 in number, and also claim they don’t fully remember the number of smaller burglaries they’ve been involved in.
The 8 big Delhi burglaries helped them get together cash and valuables worth more than 1 crore. The used Mercedes-Benz cost them Rs 25 lakhs, which they paid for with Rs 25 lakhs stolen from a bungalow in Delhi. The vehicle is registered with Haryana RTO.
They used the newly acquired car to drive to Bombay, and stayed at respectable hotels with a parking facility. Even upto a period of a fortnight. The dressed the part, lived the high life and used their luxury wheels to effortlessly recce expensive targets in gated societies. This helped them zero in on locked bungalows and flats. Stolen jewellery was sold at a range of jewellery stores in Delhi.
The burglars were entrapped by Pune rural police following a burglary reported in Lonavla. The bungalow owner reported valuables stolen worth Rs 6.5 lakhs. This includes cash, a pen and valuables. CCTV footage acquired from the bungalow showed both men, and their Mercedes-Benz car. At the time of capture, police seized the car, Rs 8,800 and tools used to carry out the crime.
