Delhi Police has arrested a 27-year-old Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirant after a chase of around 50 meters for allegedly stealing a diamond ring from a jewellery showroom in the national Capital's Connaught Place area. The accused has been identified as Praveen, a resident of Rohtak in Haryana. According to Deepak Yadav, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi district, on Monday, a case under Sections 379 (punishment for theft) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property) of the IPC was registered at Connaught Place police station on complaint of Lalit Dhiman, store manager of a well know jewellery showroom at Connaught Place.
"The complainant alleged that the accused had stolen a diamond ring, worth around `60,000 to 70,000, from the showroom and tried to flee. He was apprehended by the showroom staff. The accused was handed over to police," said the DCP.
A CCTV footage went viral on social media where the accused is seen sitting on a chair inside the showroom. A saleswoman is showing him some jewellery articles. When the woman leaves the counter for a while, the accused takes a ring and put it inside his pocket.
In another video, the accused is seen running while he is being chased by police. He tries to escape after jumping the fencing, but the policeman nabs him. According to police, when the showroom staff was checking the jewellery, one ring was found missing. They stopped the accused and called police.
"After watching the CCTV footage, police searched the accused and a stolen diamond ring was recovered from his possession. Over this, the accused tried to escape from the spot and was caught by constable Rajender after chasing around 50 meters. While chasing, Rajender got an injury in his left leg and was referred to hospital for treatment," said the DCP.
During interrogation, Praveen disclosed that he is preparing for UPSC at Mukherjee Nagar. He used to do small thefts to fulfil his daily needs, the DCP said. The stolen diamond ring was recovered from his possession, police added.