A man was arrested after he was caught red-handed while attempting to burgle the official residence of a judicial magistrate in the Club Road area on Thursday, police said.
According to police, ASI Sarabjit Singh, a resident of Hoshiarpur deployed for the magistrate’s security, was present at the residence around 5.30 pm when he spotted the accused inside the premises. The suspect was removing old taps and other iron articles and tried to flee after being noticed, but was caught at the spot.
The accused has been identified as Lakhan, a resident of Fazilka.
Sarabjit Singh alerted the Division Number 8 police, who reached the residence and took the accused into custody.
Police have registered a case under Sections 331(3) (house trespass) and 305 (theft in a dwelling house) of the BNS against Lakhan.
ASI Gurmel Lal, who is investigating the case, said, “We are also probing whether the accused was involved in any similar incidents in the area.”
Another judicial magistrate’s house burgled in July
On July 3, a gang of burglars allegedly targeted the house of a judicial magistrate in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, one of the city’s posh localities, and decamped with cash and valuables. The magistrate was out of station due to vacations at the time.