Four held in 17-mth-old Jaisalmer burglary case

Jaisalmer: In a significant breakthrough, police have arrested four members of a criminal gang— including its leader—17 months after a major burglary in Jaisalmer. The arrests were made from a hideout in the Aravalli hills of Chittorgarh-Begun following a multi-day surveillance operation.

The arrest came after a four-day surveillance operation using drones and binoculars in the leopard- and hyena-inhabited region. The accused were caught while sleeping at their hill camp. A jeweller from Bhilwara was also arrested later. The gang's methods were inspired by the South Indian film Theeran.

Barmer SP Narendra Singh Meena identified the accused as Saniya alias Sameer Kanjar (30), Anil Kanjar (20), Ramesh Chandra Ganwar (28), and jeweller Basant Kumar Soni (54). Their records show 31, 9, and 1 prior cases respectively, with Basant booked under the SC/ST Act.

The burglary occurred on Aug 28, 2024, at Maheshwari's residence, where 113 tolas of gold, 4.8 kg of silver, and Rs 3 lakh cash were stolen. Dhorimanna police registered the case and launched a high-level probe involving ASP Jasaram Bose, CO Sukhram Vishnoi, and technical teams.

Investigations spanned across Udaipur, Chittorgarh, and Bhilwara. Police said the gang sold the loot to a jeweller in Ladpura and stayed hidden in forests, using a six-wheeler truck and avoiding phones. Police are continuing interrogation. A team from Dhorimanna police, led by ASI Rawataram and DST head constable Premaram, conducted investigations in Begun.

According to police, the criminals operated from hill-based camps, using a six-wheeler truck for transportation and leaving their mobile phones at their leader's residence. They avoided their homes post-burglaries, staying in the hills and parking their vehicle at distant highway hotels. The dense Aravalli forests provided them escape routes during police raids.

Police established a command centre 5 km from the hills, employing technical surveillance over five nights. A pre-dawn operation led to the arrest of Saniya alias Sameer and Anil Kanjar. Rameshchand was arrested at the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border while attempting to flee to Tamil Nadu. Questioning led to Basant Kumar Soni's arrest in Ladpura. Police are continuing interrogation.