New Delhi, Oct 26 A 72-year-old woman with 14 previous criminal involvements has been arrested for allegedly stealing a foreign national’s bag from a shop in central Delhi’s Paharganj, with police recovering Rs 1.85 lakh and USD 2,600 from her possession, an official said on Wednesday.
The accused, Savita Gandhi alias Saroj Gandhi, was arrested from Uttam Nagar on October 24 following an investigation involving the analysis of footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras, he said.
Police said she was a habitual offender and had recently been released from Tihar Jail.
The foreign national had lodged an online complaint on October 21, alleging that her bag was stolen while she was shopping in Paharganj. The bag contained a passport, visa documents, USD 2,600, Rs 2.5 lakh in Indian currency, three credit cards and a mobile phone, they said.
A case under the relevant section of the BNS was registered at Paharganj police station.
During the investigation, police analysed footage from over 100 CCTV cameras installed in and around the area and developed human intelligence to identify the suspect.
The team also coordinated with previous investigating officers who had arrested the accused woman in earlier cases to gather information about her whereabouts, police said.
The stolen cash and US dollars were subsequently recovered from her possession. The clothes allegedly worn by the accused at the time of the theft were also recovered, they said.
During interrogation, Gandhi allegedly admitted her involvement in the theft.
The accused allegedly took advantage of her senior-citizen appearance to avoid suspicion while committing thefts, police said, adding that the details regarding the opening of her history sheet and a proposal for her externment were being verified.
Police said efforts were underway to recover the remaining stolen articles, including the mobile phone, passport and visa documents. Further investigation is in progress.
(PTI News)
