With the help of Google search, the Delhi Police have arrested a thief who was involved in several high-profile burglaries in the affluent Vasant Kunj neighbourhood, the Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday. Siddharth Mehrotra, 27, along with his two accomplices, was involved in at least 18 robberies since February 2017.
During his interrogation, Siddharth Mehrotra reportedly said that he only targeted the houses belonging to politicians, businessmen, bureaucrats and government officials. In a few incidents, he was even captured in the closed circuit television cameras installed in the locality. However, the police were unable to identify him.
“Given the number of cases in which Mehrotra was involved in, we hoped that he would have been arrested at least once in the past,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, South, Ishwar Singh, told the Hindustan Times. “We began searching Google for any possible news on his arrest.”
Singh said several keywords such as “well-dressed burglar”, “suave thief” and “Bunty Chor” were used to search news reports on the accused. However, it was after the police searched for “officer’s son” that they were able to identify Mehrotra, and arrested him on August 15. Mehrotra is the son of a retired bank official.
The police seized a Chevrolet Cruze car, gold jewellery, an LED TV, play stations, VR players, a laptop, luxurious watches, among other things from him, reported India Today. “Mehrotra said he was fond of living a luxurious life and buying branded clothes. He would also spend the money on gadgets and has a diploma in animation,” Singh told The Indian Express.
The police later found out that Mehrotra was arrested in Uttar Pradesh in 2015 in connection with another burglary case.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!