Fingerprints help crack 12-year-old burglary case

New Delhi: Police have solved a 12-year-old burglary case based on the fingerprints of the accused obtained at the crime spot in Kalkaji in 2006.

The accused Sabir Malik, 36, is a resident of Shaheed Nagar in Ghaziabad. The identity of the accused has been established by matching the fingerprints taken from the burglary spot 12 years ago.

According to the police, in December24, a Kalkaji-based businessman Lalit Batra’s house was burgled and Rs 30,000 in cash, jewellery and other articles were stolen from his house.

During investigation, following inspection of the crime spot, the district crime team lifted the fingerprints of the suspects from the spot. All out efforts were made to trace the accused. However, no arrests could be made in the case and it remained unsolved.

It may be noted the district crime team saved the fingerprints in the records of the Crime Record Office of Delhi police at Kamla Market.

On January 7, the inter-state cell of crime branch arrested Malik for possessing a country-made pistol. During interrogation, he disclosed his involvement in several cases of theft and burglaries. When his fingerprints were run through the Finger Print Bureau, it was discovered that they matched with those taken by Kalkaji police in the 2006 burglary case.  

The Kalkaji police interrogated Malik and during interrogation, he confessed his involvement in the burglary case. He that he is a member of Kalu and Billa gang, which was involved in burglaries in Delhi and other cities.