Delhi's $3 million heist: How one man single-handedly looted millions from a jewellery shop

It was a daring burglary rivalling scenes from a movie. A lone-wolf thief, 31-year-old Lokesh Srivas, who allegedly carried out the sensational $3 million (Rs 25 crore) heist in a jewellery store in New Delhi, had done it like a 'military mission'. The accused had conducted three visits to Delhi to carry out a ‘recce’ of his target store at the heart of the Indian capital.

He was caught after a tip-off. And now, interesting details are emerging about how he went about his 'mission'.

When going to invade Umrao Singh Jewellers in south Delhi's Bhogal area, he carried a packet of cashews and almonds to ensure he didn’t go hungry.

The accused toured Delhi three times before burglary

According to the police, Srivas stayed at the Rajdhani Guest House at Chandni Chowk. In addition to performing a reconnaissance on September 21, Srivas had previously made two trips to the city for the same reason, police said.

He arrived in Jangpura on September 9 and remained there till September 12, when he departed for Mathura-Vrindavan. On September 15, he left for Delhi again, where he remained until September 17. From Kashmere Gate, he then boarded a bus bound for the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

He made his last trip to Delhi on September 21 and at 9.20pm, he left for Jangpura to conduct another reconnaissance.

A screwdriver and a plier were among the two tools Srivas allegedly took to Delhi on September 21 and used to commit the robbery at Umrao Singh Jewellers, according to the police. Aside from these, he also spent $16 (Rs 1,300) for a disc cutter from GB Road and a hammer from Chandni Chowk.

Delhi Police have also discovered CCTV footage from the store, in which Srivas is seen covering his face with a white towel and unplugging the CCTV equipment.

How police reached the accused

As part of a joint operation between the Delhi Police and the state's police, Srivas was taken into custody from Kabirdham district in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh on Friday (Sep 29) morning.

In Chhattisgarh, he already has multiple cases registered against him. The arrest happened when Chhattisgarh Police informed the south-east district police that they had apprehended a man named Lokesh Rao who admitted to assistant sub-inspector Shamit Tiwari that one of his colleagues "had committed a big crime in Delhi" after being apprehended.

The Chhattisgarh Police then provided a photo of Srivas that matched the suspect's body type and appearance from the CCTV examined by Delhi police that showed him entering the shop on September 24.

For the heiston September 24, theaccused entered the shop through the terrace and escaped with ornaments worth $3 million (Rs 20-25 crore).

This is one of the biggest robberies in Delhi since 2015. Back then, a cash van driver fled with almost Rs 22.5 crore in cash from the Govindpuri neighbourhood in southeast Delhi.

(With inputs from agencies)