Delhi: Disabled man who 'single-handedly' broke locks held

Disabled man who had the skills of breaking the locks of shops and houses and committing burglaries in Delhi was caught by the police. A viral CCTV footage showed that Raju lighted the matchstick single-handedly.

Delhi: Days after the video of a differently-abled man lighting matchsticks and lifting articles from a furniture shop in southwest Delhi went viral on social media, the burglar was arrested from MG Road here, police said on Friday.

Raju (38), a resident of Dwarka, was arrested on Thursday, they said, adding that he used to dispose of the stolen items to scrap dealers.

His right hand was amputated while working on a threshing machine at his native place in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, police said.

The robbery was reported to police on August 27.

According to police, the accused observed the furniture shop in Vasant Kunj in the day time and on the same night, he entered the store after breaking its lock with the help of an iron rod. Since it was dark, he lit matchsticks with his single hand and lifted a laptop, iPad and mobile phones from the shop.

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The entire act was caught on a CCTV camera installed inside the shop.

"Acting on a tip-off, we laid a trap at a bus stand on MG Road on Thursday. At 8.10 am, when Raju arrived at the spot, our team apprehended him,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said.

Two mobile phones, a laptop and an iPad were seized from his possession, the officer said.

Raju was earlier arrested in 2013 when he was caught stealing an LPG gas cylinder in south Delhi's Neb Sarai, police said.

PTI