The law finally catches up with a master burglar

Ajay Kumar was wanted for sensational break-ins, duping traders

Financial fraudsters are not unheard of in the capital. But, here is a person who has the dubious distinction of burgling jewellery shops and duping traders of huge sums with equal ease.

The Afzalgunj police on Tuesday caught Ajay Kumar, along with four of his associates, wanted by the Cyberabad police in three sensational jewellery shop burglaries. The 30-year-old accused was also the kingpin in relieving rice traders of Rs. 85 lakh in S.R. Nagar and oil traders of Rs. 15 lakh in Afzalgunj a year ago.

Interestingly, Kumar had been freely moving in the city even as the police of Cyberabad were on the lookout for him and his gang for the burglaries. Managing to evade the police, he continued to reside in different parts of the city and duped the merchants.

Kumar had been committing offences since he was a teenager and was arrested in a murder case in Madhapur. Four years ago, the Central Crime Station of Hyderabad caught him in a financial fraud case and had him lodged in prison.

There, he came into contact with Mustafa, arrested in jewellery shop burglary cases. After coming out on bail, the duo broke into jewellery shops at Kushaiguda, Chandanagar and Jeedimetla. They made holes on the walls of shops and used gas cutters to cut open steel chests and made off with 2.5 kilos of gold ornaments and 80 kilos of silver articles.

Mustafa was caught eventually but Kumar hatched fresh plots to make money. This time, he had set up a fake rice trader shop at S.R. Nagar. “Nowhere did he came into picture. He projected one of his acquaintances as the rice merchant, who would purchase loads of rice from wholesale dealers,” Afzalgunj Inspector K. Manoj Kumar said.

To gain the confidence of the rice dealers, the gang used to procure loads of the grain through immediate payment in cash, which was gotten through sale of the stolen jewellery. Later, they procured rice loads worth Rs. 85 lakh from different traders, ones who had been won over by now and who did not demand cash instantly. The fraudster’s gang sold rice to other rice agents and disappeared with the money.

While S.R. Nagar police was on the lookout for them, the gang began operations in Afzalgunj. This time, they swindled oil merchants of Rs. 15 lakh by adopting a similar modus operandi . A special team led by Inspector Kumar tracked the gang, busting them on Tuesday.