NEW DELHI: Thievery is no easy feat - it requires courage. But even the bold aren’t always successful.
Two thieves, posing as 'deaf and mute' to avoid capture, were arrested by Delhi Police after a series of targeted thefts across the city. The duo, identified as P Karthik from Andhra Pradesh and Balan from Tamil Nadu, had been stealing mobile phones, laptops, and other high-end electronics from student areas in Delhi-NCR.
The pair, aware that students often possess valuable gadgets, had developed a clever strategy to escape detection. If caught, they would pretend to be mute and deaf, communicating only through gestures, hoping to avoid questions and suspicion.
Their ruse was nearly successful when Delhi Police’s Special Staff team stopped them during a routine check on their motorcycle travelling from Gurugram to Nehru Place.
When questioned about their presence and documents for the bike, the suspects continued to act deaf and mute, communicating only through gestures. They also presented a letter claiming to have received charitable donations, hoping to divert attention.
However, the police saw through their act and conducted a thorough search. In their bags, they found 16 stolen mobile phones and 6 laptops—items taken from various student residences. Following their arrest, Karthik and Balan revealed that they had been travelling by train from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to Delhi, where they would roam early in the morning, targeting homes near educational institutions.
Once inside, they would pose as members of a “deaf and mute” school or orphanage, showing fake disability certificates to gain entry and asking for donations. After stealing valuables, they would flee the city and sell the stolen items at low prices in their home states. The operation to catch the thieves was the result of meticulous surveillance by the police, who had received a tip-off about their activities. DCP (South) Ankit Chauhan said both manual and technical surveillance helped gather information.