’Bunty chor’ suspected behind burglary in Thiruvananthapuram

Delhi-based burglar Devinder Singh alias "Bunty chor" is suspected to be behind the hitech burglary at the residence of an NRI businessman in the city. The thief drove off in a luxury car parked in the house after entering the premises breaking its hitech security systems like surveillance and intruder warning alarm. The house of K V G Nair, an NRI residing in the city, was burgled in the wee hours on Monday. The thief entered the house breaking hitech security systems such as surveillance cameras, intruder warning alarm and bullet-proof windows.

The police team investigating the case today claimed they had strong reasons to believe the burglary was committed by Devinder as the images of the thief caught in the hidden camera installed at the house bore striking resemblance to that of the upcountry criminal. The suspicion has been corroborated by the modus operandi of the burglar and other cirumstantial evidences, police sources here said. An ace car racer Bunty Chor is known to have a weakness for fancy cars and watches. Dibakar Banerjee's flick Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye (2008) was based on his life. When Nair and his family, who slept through the entire operation, woke up in the morning, they discovered they had been robbed. All that the burglar had left behind was an abandoned Maruti Esteem - also stolen - and a CCTV recording in which he was seen giving tips to the police.

In fact, when the CCTV footage was flashed on television, a city hotel informed the police that a person resembling the burglar had been staying at their hotel for the past one week. He had reportedly registered himself as Devinder Singh, a resident of Vikas Puri, New Delhi. Bunty had been last arrested in January 2012 from the old city area of Bhopal following a tip off. He was handed over to the Delhi Police but later jumped bail. Devinder is allegedly involved in scores of burglaries across the country and targets affluent homes and drives off in luxury cars once he set his eyes on them, sources said.

"The mode of operation showed that the thief is an adept in handling hitech security systems and devices. It appeared that he had operated on his own," police sources said. Kerala police are in touch with their counterparts in other states, including Delhi and neighbouring states, as the burglar could have crossed state borders in the car he stole.