An alert neighbour thwarted a burglary attempt and helped catch two thieves red-handed after they broke into a nearby house and stole cash, gold, and jewellery amounting to R15 lakh. Hearing the sound of a lock being broken, the vigilant neighbour checked the CCTV cameras installed outside his house and immediately informed the police by dialling 100. The alert neighbour, Ivor Miranda, also called and informed the house owner, other residents of the building and the watchman. Miranda’s swift action led to the two accused being caught with their escape routes having been blocked.

The two arrested individuals have been identified as Habib Hafeez Saifi alias Faiz Chand Sheikh, 46—a labourer from Laxmi Nagar, Agra—and Aamir Iqbal Sheikh, 26—an unemployed resident of Shyam Nagar, Kanpur. Saifi has a criminal record and has been involved in similar offences, with cases registered in multiple police stations, including Vanrai, Navghar, Kasturba Marg, and Kashimira, under charges of theft and housebreaking.