By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 10 Jan: After 18 months, Shah Nawaz, a 24-year-old burglar was arrested by a joint operation team of Doiwala police and Special Operations Group (SOG) on Thursday from Kashipur, Delhi. He was wanted for a string of burglaries across Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
The case was highlighted on 15 March 2023, two homes were broken into in daylight. In the incident, Meena Gusain, resident of Bhaniawala returned home after visiting her niece only to find her house was looted. Jewellery and other valuables were stolen. Just a few hours later, Tejinder Singh, resident of Laal Tappad, came back from a family wedding to discover his home in a similar state. The thieves had taken cash and jewellery from his locker. The police quickly registered both cases and began investigating. Within days, they arrested two suspects, Barkat and Zahid. During questioning, the duo revealed the name of their partner in crime Shah Nawaz. But by then, Shah Nawaz had disappeared. Determined to catch him, a special team was formed. Led by Inspector Vinod Singh Gusain and Inspector Shankar Singh Bisht, the team used informants and electronic surveillance to track his movements. Their efforts paid off when they received a tip-off about Shah Nawaz hiding in Kashipur, Delhi.
Acting on this information, the team conducted a raid and finally caught him on 9 January 2025. The team arrested Shah Nawaz without resistance. He was brought back to Dehradun, where he will face trial for his crimes.
Shah Nawaz has a long history of crimes, with his name linked to at least 12 burglary cases in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir. His record showed involvement in thefts across cities like Rishikesh, Narendra Nagar, Baijnath, and Dharampur. After evading the police multiple times, he became one of the most wanted criminals in the region. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dehradun declared a reward of Rs 15,000 for information leading to his arrest.
