Four held for Rs 40 lakh, gold jewellery robbery in Delhi

Five people were arrested for allegedly robbing a couple of ₹40lakh and jewellery after tying them up at their residence in Shahdara’s Jagatpuri on August 11, the Delhi Police said. One of the suspects is one of the victims’ cousins who planned the robbery, they added. They were arrested on different dates and locations.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Rajender Kumar, also known as Bittoo, Mukesh Kumar, his spouse Deepa, and Rachna. Meanwhile, two other suspects, Deepak and Ashu Balyan, remain at large, according to the police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohit Meena, in charge of the Shahdara district, revealed that the incident occurred on August 11 when the victim had returned home in the Jagatpuri police station vicinity at around 8:15 am, after dropping off his son at school.

Three assailants entered the parking area of the victim’s residence, subdued him, and subsequently escorted him to the fourth floor of the apartment building at gunpoint. Inside the victim’s apartment, they restrained both him and his wife before making off with roughly Rs 40 lakh in cash and 35 to 40 tolas’ worth of gold jewelry.

Rachna, a relative of the victim, emerged as the alleged mastermind behind the robbery, as per police.

Police said investigative efforts included a review of CCTV footage, which revealed that the three men and one woman had arrived at the scene on scooters.

After narrowing their focus on two suspects and analysing their phone records, the police arrested Rajender, who was found in possession of a homemade pistol containing two live cartridges and a stolen purse containing the victim’s Aadhar Card, they said.

According to police, further investigation uncovered that after the robbery, Deepak had given Rs 5 lakh to his uncle Naveen Kumar, and the stolen money was subsequently recovered from him.

The scrutiny of call records for the accused and their associates revealed messages from a financial services firm, ultimately leading to the identification of another suspect, Deepa, said police, adding that she had deposited stolen gold in the company, and a subsequent raid at her residence in Ghaziabad resulted in the recovery of 210 grams of stolen gold jewelry in her possession.

Additionally, police found a significant amount of cash in the account of Ashu’s father, Mukesh, leading to his arrest and the seizure of Rs 2.5 lakh from him. Rachna, when questioned, disclosed her familial relationship with the victim and her knowledge of where he stored the cash and jewelry in his home. She allegedly played an active role in conspiring with her accomplices, Deepak, Ashu, and Rajender, they added further.

To date, authorities have recovered Rs 24 lakh in cash, gold jewelry, a country-made pistol, and two bullets from the suspects. Efforts continue to apprehend the remaining individuals involved in the robbery, Police said. (With inputs from PTI)