New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS): Delhi Police have arrested 11 criminals, who were planning to loot a jewellery shop in the national capital, an officer said on Friday, adding that they have also recovered two rifles, one double-barrel gun, three country-made pistols along with bullets from their possession.

The accused have been identified as Sanjay Kumar, Vijender Jat, Vijay Singh Gurjar, Jagat Thakur, Jitender Kumar, Ramkesh, Sourabh, Paramveer Nehra, Mahipal Panwar, Amit Jat and Sumit Antil, all residents of Haryana.

According to the police, they received specific information on October 29 that at 11 p.m., a group of criminals would gather near the new masjid in Deenpur Extension to meet their associates with the intention of committing an armed robbery at jewellery shops.

“Accordingly, a police team was deployed in the area to apprehend the criminals before they could carry out the crime,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), M. Harsha Vardhan.

“In the subsequent operation, all the 11 accused persons were arrested,” the DCP said.

Upon questioning, the accused admitted to planning a robbery at jewellery shops.

“Upon search, the police recovered two rifles, one double-barrel gun, three country-made pistols, and seven live cartridges from their three vehicles,” the officer said.

The police action came over a month after a 31-year-old man broke into a jewellery shop in Jangpura, looted gold and diamond jewellery worth over Rs 20 crore, hid inside the store for 15 hours before fleeing the next day. The accused was later arrested from a village in Chhattisgarh.