23-year-old woman held for stealing from Delhi homes using 50 master keys

A 23-year-old former call centre employee, who turned to burglary, has been arrested for targeting locked houses in upscale areas of southwest Delhi using 50 master keys, an official said on Tuesday.

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The accused, Joynila Tongsin Anal, a native of Manipur had moved to Delhi in October 2024 and initially took up a job at a call centre while living in Munirka, he said.

She quit her job soon and allegedly began targeting locked homes in nearby localities like Kishangarh and Safdarjung Enclave, he added.

She used a bunch of keys that to test on door locks and would slip into houses discreetly, decamping with valuables, DCP (Southwest) Amit Goel said.

The case came to light when two separate burglary complaints were filed at the Kishangarh and Safdarjung Enclave police stations earlier this month.

A complainant alleged that a laptop, LED TV, and camera accessories were stolen from his home in Munirka while another person reported that gold and diamond earrings, a headphone, shoes, along with Rs 1,300 in cash were stolen from his residence, Goel said.

On June 14, Joynila was arrested from the Chhatarpur area. During interrogation she confessed to the burglaries and led the police to her residence where stolen items from multiple cases were recovered.

The 50 keys in her possession that she used to open locked homes without drawing attention, were also seized, the officer said.

“Her method was systematic. She scouted locked homes and used keys in her possession to silently enter. The recoveries and her confession have helped us solve at least four burglary cases,” the DCP added.