The Baguiati police nabbed a thief who had stolen ornaments from a Kali temple on the night of February 23 from Baguiati’s Natun Bazar area.

The accused 46-year old Rajesh Dey was apprehended from a village in Nadia’s Chakdah police station after scanning through footage sourced from over 200 closed-circuit television cameras.

“He is a serial offender. From 2012 onwards he has several cases registered against him under the Kolkata Police’s jurisdiction and also one case in the Lake Town police station,” said a senior police officer. “Posing as a door-to-door salesman he would conduct recce in the areas that he targeted for around 15 days.”

Sourced by the correspondent

According to the police, Dey has been in and out of jail for most part of the last 13 years.

On the night of February 23, Dey had robbed the ornaments weighing around 200 grams from the temple. For renovation work, CCTV cameras installed inside the temple and around the market were not functioning.

Caught on CCTV camera

Dey was caught on the CCTV cameras installed by the Baguiati police station. In one of the cameras the accused was seen heading towards the Dum Dum railway bridge. He was next seen boarding a Krishnagar local from Dum Dum railway station around 3.30 in the morning of February 24.

Next he was seen seated on a window seat of a Nadia bound train in the CCTV cameras at the Naihati railway station. According to the police he got off the train at Mohanpur railway station.

The Baguiati police station got in touch with their counterparts at Ranaghat police district, and the accused was finally traced by the Chakdah police station and arrested.

Dey will be produced in a court later in the day.

The Bidhannagar police said, the entire stolen ornaments have been recovered and have been sent to a valuer to assess the worth.