Once a skilled hairdresser with a dream to open a salon in his hometown, Lokesh Shrivas is believed to be the brains behind one of the biggest heists in Delhi.
The 32-year-old is the prime accused in the burglary at Umrao Singh Jewellers in south-east Delhi’s Bhogal, where jewellery and cash worth ₹25 crore were stolen on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
According to multiple police sources, Mr. Shrivas is believed to be involved in several thefts and burglaries in Chhattisgarh, as well as Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.
Currently in Chhattisgarh Police custody, he often sold the stolen jewellery to local sellers in the State. Superintendent of Police (Bilaspur) Santosh Singh told The Hindu that Mr. Shrivas is a “seasoned criminal” who “knew his job.” “Shrivas used to carry several tools in his backpack — drill machine, ropes and belts to climb buildings, cutters, as well as extra bags,” Mr. Singh added.
Lavish lifestyle
The DCP said Mr. Shrivas turned to crime at the age of 25 in 2016 as he wanted to lead a lavish lifestyle. “Shrivas bought cars, branded clothes, and would often stay at premier hotels. He also made many trips outside India.”
This is the third time Mr. Shrivas has been caught by the police. He was earlier arrested for burglaries in 2017 and 2020 in Chhattisgarh.
“He has carried out numerous burglaries and thefts but was always arrested in cases involving large sums of money,” Mr. Singh said.
Inspector General (Bilaspur Range) Ajay Kumar Yadav told The Hindu that in 2020, Mr. Shrivas was arrested for a burglary in Bhilai, similar to the one in Bhogal.
“Shrivas started off with smaller thefts at jewellery stores in nearby areas to earn quick money to set up his salon. However, he soon became involved in crime full time,” added Mr. Yadav, who was earlier the Senior Superintendent of Police (Durg).
According to an officer, the local police had tried convincing Mr. Shrivas to leave his life of crime behind and even offered to help him set up his dream salon. However, their efforts went in vain.
“Shrivas is a one-man army. His modus operandi in all his burglaries would be the same: he would do the recce, plan out the robbery and even execute it all by himself,” Mr. Yadav said.
He also said Mr. Shrivas had one or two associates whom he met in jail, but these men would only help him in “special” cases.
Modus operandi
Recalling one of the burglaries in Bhilai, the senior officer said, “Shrivas had bought clothes from a market when he found an under-construction building next to a jewellery shop. He climbed to the top of the building using a bamboo ladder and stayed on the roof for 23 hours without food and water. He then entered the adjoining shop using a drill machine and a cutter and stole valuables worth ₹2.59 crore and ₹1.47 lakh in cash.”
He never left any evidence behind at the scene of his burglaries, Mr. Yadav said. “After committing 13 burglaries in Kabirdham, he lay low for some years,” he added.
In the Bhogal heist, too, Mr. Shrivas had used a similar modus operandi.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South East Delhi) Rajesh Deo said the master burglar had entered the building next to the jewellery showroom on Sunday night and was caught on CCTV camera exiting the same building on Monday evening.
Published - September 30, 2023 01:34 am IST
