4 of a gang pose as guests at wedding reception, escape with valuables

New Delhi: A gang of three men from Madhya Pradesh often travelled to New Delhi to commit thefts at weddings. They used to gatecrash, pose as unsuspecting guests and make off with the loot. But they ran out of luck in the bustling lanes of Paharganj recently, where they were nabbed by police.
The arrested accused were identified as Sawant (27), Raj (24), and Vishal (25). A juvenile was also apprehended.
On Oct 24, Jessy Oommen, a resident of Mayur Vihar submitted a complaint. In it, she stated that she organised a marriage reception for her son at Sacred Heart Cathedral Church. She kept a finger ring, mobile phone, gift envelopes containing cash received from invitees, a key ring and her son's marriage certificate in a handbag. At 9.30 pm, she became occupied with the guests and placed the handbag on a sofa. Later, she discovered that it was stolen by an unknown individual. A case was registered.
Deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi) Devesh Kumar Mahla said a team was formed under SHO (Mandir Marg) Amit Kumar Tiwari to investigate the matter.
The investigation revealed that three people, along with a child, entered and exited the reception ceremony venue. One of these individuals was seen carrying the handbag. "The CCTV footage was reviewed by the complainant and other guests, but no one could identify the individuals. Thereafter, footage from more than 60 CCTV cameras was analysed, and the route taken by the suspects was prepared.
Through technical intelligence, the suspects were tracked to a hotel in Paharganj. However, the suspects checked out just before the police team reached the hotel," another officer said.
Further probe revealed that the suspects had shifted to a nearby hotel in the same area. Subsequently, a raid was conducted and the accused were apprehended. The stolen handbag, containing nearly all the stolen items, was recovered.
During questioning, the accused revealed that they were from Rajgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and had arrived in Delhi two days prior to the incident. Their modus operandi involved posing as invitees at marriage functions to commit thefts.
In this latest case, en route to Connaught Place, they noticed this marriage ceremony taking place at the church and joined the function. Sawant was earlier involved in nine such cases.
"At every function, they would dress well and bring a child to avoid suspicion," the officer said. "The child's main role was to pick up the bag."