Burglar inspired by Justin Bieber held with accomplices

New Delhi, May 20 : A group of burglars, headed by a fan of Justin Bieber, who used to commit robberies to fund his imitation of the international pop star's life style and throw lavish parties, has been busted with arrest of all its five members, police said on Saturday.

Police said Roshan Messi, 18, headed the gang operating in high-profile areas housing diplomats and officials in south Delhi. The gang also comprising Monu, 27, Anju chauhan, 25, Vickey Rawat, 24 and Sharon Kant, were involved in 54 cases of robbery.

A police team, acting on a tip off, had on Thursday night apprehended three of the accused persons when they came for a robbery in Moti Bagh area and later arrested Messi and Chauhan. 

"Messi was fond of singing Bieber songs and dressing like him. He was attracted to the lavish lifestyle of Bieber. He was a school dropout and had dreamt to become a rockstar. He is fond of listening to English songs and was attracted to the lifestyle of Hollywood pop singers," Deputy Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh told IANS.

"Messi set up his own gang and committed these crimes to fulfil his desires of partying and wearing branded clothes. He even said that there were days when he used to call his gang members to party and spend Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000 for the purpose," he added.

The gang used to steal in areas like Shantiniketan, Saket, Sarojini Nagar and other posh areas of south Delhi.

"On May 4, soon after their release from a juvenile correction Home, they all started to target the residence of a French diplomat and a retired IAS officer," Singh said.