Palanpur: Banaskantha police have uncovered an unusual modus operandi of a serial burglar who used a sophisticated metal detector to locate gold and silver ornaments hidden inside household vaults, enabling him to execute break-ins in minutes.The revelation came after the arrest of Shaitanram alias Kailash Bhat, a member of Rajasthan’s notorious Bhat gang, in connection with two daytime house burglaries in Danta and Amirgadh talukas.“During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he purchased an all-terrain, all-target detector from Ahmedabad for about Rs 1 lakh and used it to detect valuables concealed inside locked houses before breaking open cupboards and vaults,” said DM Rathod, inspector, Local Crime Branch (LCB).Police officials explained that a metal detector generates an electromagnetic field and alerts the user when it detects metallic objects. There are specific identification numbers when the device detects valuable items made from gold and silver, letting the user know about their presence.Police arrested the accused while probing a Rs 10 lakh daytime burglary at Vashi village in Danta taluka and another Rs 3.64 lakh house break-in at Chekhla village in Amirgadh. They recovered stolen gold and silver ornaments, cash, a motorcycle, the metal detector, a mobile phone and burglary tools worth Rs 12 lakh.Rathod added that Bhat has been involved in crime since 2015 and is wanted in more than 23 cases of robbery, dacoity, chain-snatching and house break-ins in Rajasthan. After shifting to Banaskantha, he allegedly posed as a cattle trader to recce villages, identify locked houses in remote areas and target them during the daytime.
