A joint team from the Crime Branch and Habibganj Police apprehended a wanted thief from Banda (UP) on Friday, who was involved in stealing valuables from the residence of Crime Branch TI Ashok Maravi.

The accused, Rajesh Bajpai, has six criminal cases against him in Banda, including charges of murder and theft. He had been on the run after evading a warrant. During his escape, he first traveled to Indore with plans to commit theft but was unsuccessful.

After two days, he moved to Bhopal, where he stayed at various night shelters and lodges while surveying potential targets. He identified TI Maravi's house, which was deserted, and took the opportunity to steal Rs 1.5 lakh in cash and jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh. The stolen items have since been recovered by the police. The accused is currently being interrogated in connection with other crimes.

TI Ajay Kumar Soni confirmed that the accused, Rajesh Vajpayee, is from Banda, Uttar Pradesh, and has a history of multiple crimes in the state. He was also sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a relative over a land dispute. The police recovered Rs 1.5 lakh in cash along with gold and silver jewellery, valued at Rs 1 lakh.

In his confession, Vajpayee revealed that he had arrived in Bhopal from Indore two days before the theft. During his stay in Indore, he attempted to rob several houses but failed. He finally targeted the residence of Crime Branch TI Ashok Maravi in Shivaji Nagar, taking advantage of the house being unoccupied.

The police were able to catch the accused based on CCTV footage. Despite having a rod in his leg, which would have made climbing high walls difficult, Vajpayee sought out an easy target. He was arrested in Banda (UP) on Friday for the crime.