NEW DELHI: An autorickshaw making rounds through southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar in the early hours became the unlikely centre of an unconventional theft trail, with a man systematically lifting milk crates that had just been unloaded outside vendor shops. As consignments began mysteriously disappearing, what first appeared to be petty pilferage soon revealed a pattern.Not gold or valuables, but everyday essentials like milk and curd lie at the heart of this unusual racket, earning its alleged operators the title “doodh chor”. Over a week after the footage surfaced, police traced and arrested two alleged members of the gang from outer Delhi’s Shiv Vihar.In the video dated March 26, the man is seen pulling up in an autorickshaw around 6.50 am and loading crates packed with milk pouches. The footage, which surfaced on social media two days later, quickly went viral.“During the course of enquiry, the team meticulously analysed around 300 CCTV footages and activated secret informers to identify and trace the duo seen in the viral video,” said DCP (Outer) Vikram Singh.Police received a tip-off on Friday that two men — identified as Mohit, 27, and Ayush Maan Pandey, 19 — were involved in multiple thefts and would be arriving near a church in Shiv Vihar, Vikas Nagar. A trap was laid, and a three-wheeler tempo approaching from the Najafgarh drain side was intercepted.A search of the tempo led to the recovery of 14 empty milk crates. The duo failed to produce valid documents for the vehicle, which was later found to be stolen from Prem Nagar. The tempo was also found to be stolen, police said.The accused told cops they stole milk and curd consignments from Uttam Nagar and sold them to supply points in nearby Dabri and Bindapur. Police said the duo was involved in at least two incidents involving the theft of 14 milk crates and 10 kg of curd.Mohit, police said, has been previously involved in 38 cases of theft, snatching and motor vehicle theft, and was released from jail in February this year. The duo was also found to be involved in recent vehicle thefts, leading to the recovery of a stolen scooter and a motorcycle.
