Notorious thief Bunty lands in police net again

NEW DELHI: Notorious thief Devender, better known in police circles as Bunty for his daring acts including escapes from custody, has been arrested again while trying to commit a robbery in south Delhi.

Police in Delhi and in other states have been on the look out for Bunty, nicknamed 'super chor' for his habit of staying in posh hotels and travelling by air, for the last several months.

Released from jail last year after serving a sentence for five years, his network extended across the country and he has struck in cities in north and south India in the last six months, police said.

Bunty used to target luxury cars, computers, expensive wrist watches, diamond jewellery, ATM cards, antiques, exquisite showpieces and electronic items. He was nabbed last week when he landed in the capital from Chennai, it added.

Last time, the millionaire thief was arrested along with his associate Vikram in 2002 and police had claimed to have solved 200 cases of robberies and recovered stolen booty worth Rs five crore.

This time, police claimed they have solved cases of robberies committed in Greater Kailash-II, Defence Colony, Malviya Nagar, Swami Nagar, New Friends Colony, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Baroda and Bangalore.

His collection include a diplomatic card meant to gain entry to Vigyan Bhavan, which he used at some point of time to cross over to Nepal.

The 35-year-old, who faces around 550 cases of theft and burglaries, had escaped from police custody several times in the past.