A man who had covered himself with a burqa to gain entry into establishments he planned to rob has been arrested along with his associate, said police on Tuesday.

One such robbery attempt at a jewellery shop a week ago had gone wrong as the owner suspected the person in the burqa to be a male. The robbers had managed to escape by shooting and injuring the shop owner.

The arrested men have been identified as Pankaj Sharma, 26, and Ali Raja, 22. Police said they were on the lookout for the absconding third member of this gang.

Sharma and Raja were arrested by a North-East district police team on Monday based on a tip-off that the duo would arrive in Chand Bagh area. Sharma was found having a pistol, said Veenu Bansal, DCP (North-East).

Police said the duo has confessed to their involvement in at least half-a-dozen registered cases of robberies and snatchings and efforts are on to learn of their other involvements.

sNormally, the gang would stalk their targets for sometime before robbing them at a secluded place. When they turned adventurous, one of them would pose as a woman in a burqa and enter targeted shops as customers.

Their luck, however, ran out on December 30. Posing as customers, the three robbers entered a jewellery shop in old Mustafabad.

While the robbers were checking out the jewellery collection there, the shop keeper sensed something wrong with the person in the burqa. He closely observed the person to confirm his suspicion and then went on to raise an alarm.