Jeweller among 4 held in Jankipuram burglary case

Lucknow: Police on Saturday busted a notorious gang that stole nearly Rs 1 crore worth of gold, silver, and cash from the house of a petrol pump owner in Jankipuram earlier this month. Among the four arrested is a jeweller who used to buy stolen ornaments from the gang and melt them for resale. The sensational burglary took place at the locked residence of petrol pump owner Durgesh Kumar Mishra on June 18. Mishra, who had gone with his family to his sister's house in Bengaluru on May 28 and returned on June 18 to find his house ransacked and valuables missing. The intruders not only broke into locked rooms but also stayed for hours—snacking on dry fruits and chips from the kitchen. Following the incident, ADCP North Jitendra Dubey formed a special investigation team comprising local police, the crime branch, and the surveillance cell. CCTV footage, electronic surveillance, and inputs from informers helped trace the gang. Dubey said that those arrested include Rahul Gupta, the gang leader, a resident of Para. Ramu Rawat, a resident of Sector C, Aliganj, Vimlesh Kumar, a resident of Soharamau, Unnao and Rajeev Rastogi, a 60-year-old goldsmith from Para, who bought the stolen jewellery and melted it to create new ornaments.