Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 25 June 2024
In a decisive operation showcasing their commitment to crime prevention, the South Andaman District Police have successfully solved a series of house burglaries. This investigation culminated in the recovery of approximately 600 grams of stolen gold ornaments valued at over Rs. 40 lakhs and the arrest of the culprit.
Between June 16 and June 21, multiple house burglaries were reported in Port Blair, leading to the registration of four FIRs at Pahargaon and Chatham police stations. These FIRs, numbered 103/24 dated 16/06/2024, 109/24 and 110/24 dated 21/06/24 at Pahargaon, and 38/24 dated 17/06/2024 at Chatham, detailed incidents where houses were targeted in the absence of their owners. The burglaries primarily involved the theft of jewellery and cash.
Inspector Rahul, SHO PS Pahargaon, led a dedicated team to investigate these crimes. The team included SI S. Viswanand, SI Sudhir Kumar, HCs Ravi Kumar Limbu, Sunil Singh Yadav, and PCs Ashish Kr. Singh, D. Shiv Kumar, S.N. Pathak, Neelkanth, and Santosh Lall. Their thorough investigation involved fingerprint collection, the use of sniffer dogs, and the meticulous review of approximately 15 kilometres of CCTV footage. These efforts led to the identification and arrest of the perpetrator and the recovery of the stolen gold ornaments.
The accused, identified as Irshad Azad, son of Abdul Azad, a 29-year-old private worker from Shadipur, was previously arrested in a Rs. 16 lakh gold jewellery theft case at PS Aberdeen (FIR 25/24 dated 29/01/2024). Azad was aware of the presence of CCTV cameras and took measures to avoid detection by covering his face and using hidden paths to reach and leave the crime scenes. This careful planning, however, was not enough to elude the diligent police investigation.
The operation was conducted under the close supervision of Mr. Vikas, IPS, Sub Divisional Police Officer, South Andaman, and overall supervision of Ms. Niharika Bhatt, IPS, Superintendent of Police, South Andaman District.
The police have encouraged the public to install CCTV cameras in their homes and promptly report any suspicious activity. Residents can contact the police via 112 or through the numbers 03192-232100, 03192-236641, and 03192-250525, assuring that the identity of informants will be kept confidential.