Serial thief arrested; jewellery worth Rs 9.5L recovered

Ambala: The CIA-II unit of Ambala Police has arrested a history-sheeter allegedly involved in 42 theft cases across multiple police stations in the district, recovering gold and silver jewellery worth about Rs 9.5 lakh.The accused, Rahul Kumar, a resident of Punjabi Bagh near B D Flour Mill in Ambala Cantonment and currently living as a tenant near Panchdev Mandir under Mahesh Nagar police station, was found carrying around 6 tolas of gold and 240 grams of silver ornaments. With his arrest, police cracked five major theft cases in the Mahesh Nagar area alone. During questioning, Rahul confessed to committing 12 thefts in the locality.Police said he was adept at evading surveillance, committing burglaries with his face covered and wearing gloves to avoid CCTV identification and fingerprints. Courts had earlier issued arrest warrants against him in eight cases.Acting on technical inputs, a CIA-II team led by ASI Sanjeev Kumar laid a trap and arrested him near Subhash Park in Ambala Cantonment. He was produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.Police said further investigation is underway to identify his associates and those who purchased stolen property, adding that the arrest will significantly curb theft incidents in the area.