Kitchen shift by night, crime shift by day: 5-star hotel chef arrested for burglary in Delhi; used master key to open locks | Delhi News
NEW DELHI: Twenty-two-year-old Nilesh lived a double life – working as a South Indian food chef at a five-star hotel in Dwarka by night, pouring and swirling batter, and plotting burglaries during the day.On Feb 15, he clocked in as usual at the hotel. The workload was less that night, so he snuck out during early morning hours. His target had been carefully chosen-a house in Ambedkar Basti in southwest Delhi’s RK Puram Sector 1 whose occupants he knew to be out of town. Using a specially designed master key to open the Chinese locks, Nilesh crept in, unnoticed by neighbours, stealing Rs 3.5 lakh in cash and valuables, including gold and silver jewellery. The theft came to light after the family returned on Feb 18 from a wedding in Rajasthan to find their home ransacked. There was no sign of a forced entry. The owner of the house approached police and lodged a complaint, based on which a case was registered.
“Footage from a CCTV camera in the area showed a man lingering at the gate, briefly struggling before unlocking it, entering, and exiting after 30 minutes with stolen valuables,” said DCP (southwest) Amit Goel.A team was formed to identify and trace the suspect, who was seen fleeing on a scooter, his face covered with a shawl. Police tracked his route till Ring Road, which led them to the five-star hotel in Dwarka, and to Nilesh. When questioned, he initially told cops that he was busy with night shifts at the hotel, where he had been working for the past three years.Later, however, police confronted him with proof of his recent financial transactions and technical surveillance, including CCTV camera footage where he was seen wearing the same shawl at the hotel that had been reported stolen from the house. Nilesh was finally arrested on Wednesday. “The burglary took place between 2am and 3am. Nilesh knew the younger brother of the complainant, so he was aware that the family was leaving for a wedding on Feb 14 and there would be no one home that time,” said a police officer.
