In a midnight swoop on Tuesday, a team from Delhi police rounded up a 20-year-old hiding in the city after allegedly looting jewellery worth Rs 1.5 crore in the Capital.

Mohammad Jasim had taken shelter in his maternal uncle Mohammad Shamim’s house on Sambhu Chatterjee Street, in Jorasanko. Shamim, a fruit-seller, was unaware that his nephew was wanted by Delhi police and had put him up for two days.

The three-member team, led by inspector Ved Prakash of the crime branch, touched down in the city around 11.10pm on Tuesday and headed straight to Jorasanko police station. Accompanied by a small force from the police station, the Delhi officers raided Shamim’s house around midnight and picked up his nephew.

“The Delhi officers recovered jewellery worth over Rs 10 lakh from Jasim’s possession during the raid. The team sought our help and we extended support,” said city detective chief Jawed Shamim.

“Jasim and his associate had robbed a 45-year-old diamond trader of ornaments worth around Rs 1.5 crore, beaten him up mercilessly and then dragged him out of his car in an attempt to kill him. This happened on the night of February 9 in the Kalyanpuri police station area. We managed to arrest Jasim’s associate a few days back and he spilled the beans about his partner’s Calcutta connection,” Prakash told Metro.

Jasim, who dealt in hosiery items, lives with his parents in New Delhi. According to the police, he and his associate had followed the diamond trader for several days and robbed him while he was carrying several diamond rings, chains, pendants and earrings.

The trader registered a case with Kalyanpuri police station. The crime branch of Delhi police was later asked to investigate the incident.

Early on Wednesday, the team produced Jasim in a city court and took him to New Delhi on a transit remand. During interrogation, Jasim told the police that his mother had moved from Calcutta more than two decades ago but the stories she told him about her brother prompted him to come to the city.