Kolkata police nabs crorepati thief wanted in 1,200 burglaries across 14 states; check details

Bidhannagar Police achieved a significant breakthrough on Monday by securing the custody of a notorious thief, Nadeem Qureshi, in connection with a burglary that took place two years ago at Sourav Abasan in Salt Lake, as per reports. The 45-year-old Qureshi is no ordinary thief; he has an astounding record of committing over 1,200 burglaries across 14 states in the span of 25 years.

His criminal exploits have earned him the dubious title of the "burglar king." Shockingly, despite his criminal activities, Qureshi has managed to amass considerable wealth, owning properties worth crores in Mumbai and Pune. Even more surprising, his teenage children are studying in prestigious schools.

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Ghaziabad police brought him to Bengal from Tihar jail. Speaking to a news organisation, a senior officer of Bidhannagar City Police said, "He is wanted in burglary cases across the country. His modus operandi was unique and that made him leave crime scenes with ease. We had first traced him in 2021 after he had committed a robbery worth Rs 12 lakhs at two flats at Sourav Abasan. We had tracked him till Kona Expressway but then we lost his trail."

After the officers went to Rajasthan to interrogate Nadeem Qureshi, they discovered that he had already been arrested by the Rajasthan Police. However, his custody changed when he was convicted in a burglary case in Ghaziabad, leading to his transfer to Tihar jail in 2021.

Following this development, the officers placed a production remand request before the jail authorities, which was granted last week. Consequently, the Ghaziabad police brought him to Bengal. On Monday, a Salt Lake court granted seven-day police custody of Nadeem Qureshi, as informed by the officer overseeing the case.

Qureshi's criminal journey began with cattle theft in his native village in Ghaziabad, where he dropped out of school in Class V. By the age of 17, he had already committed numerous burglaries. His criminal activities expanded to various states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Odisha.

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In Bengal, similar crimes occurred in 2021 at Narayanpur and Baguiati, prompting the police to investigate Qureshi's connections in the area.

According to a senior police officer, Qureshi adopted a sophisticated approach by dressing formally and arriving in chauffeur-driven cars. He targeted less-guarded housing complexes or standalone buildings, taking elevators to the top floor and then walking down to explore locked homes. He focused on properties that had been unattended for an extended period and stole only cash and gold to avoid easy traceability of the stolen items.

Qureshi has faced at least eight arrests so far and is wanted in at least 23 cases. He even trained a team called the "Nadeem gang," which operated in a similar fashion.