Seven held for Rs 60 lakh daylight robbery in north Delhi; police say gang tipped off by insider

The Delhi Police has arrested seven alleged criminals for robbing Rs 60 lakh at gunpoint in broad daylight in north Delhi, an officer said on Friday.

The arrested individuals include an employee of the mobile accessories firm, which owned the stolen cash.

The incident took place on January 7, the officer said.

According to police, complainant Sandeep Swami, a resident of Shastri Nagar, works at a mobile accessories shop in Karol Bagh and was tasked with collecting cash from parties and depositing it at the office.

“On January 7, he and his colleague Shiva were travelling on a scooter from Rohini Sector 8 to Karol Bagh with Rs 60 lakh in cash. At 1.45 pm, when they reached near Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Subhadra Colony, two motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted them and fled with the cash at gunpoint,” DCP (North) Raja Banthia said in a statement.

A case was registered, and over 100 CCTV cameras from Rohini to the crime spot were scanned. Call detail records of connected persons were also analysed, which led investigators to suspect Shiva, he said.

During sustained questioning, Shiva allegedly confessed to tipping off the gang about the movement of the cash. He was arrested and later identified his associates as Rajeev, Karan, Hitender alias Pahadi, Sunny alias Kainchi, Karnail Singh and Nadeem, according to police.

“Two accused were first arrested on January 11, and cash, along with the scooter used to trail the victims, was recovered from them. The remaining four were nabbed on January 27-28 near the Hindu Rao Hospital while allegedly trying to flee Delhi in a car,” the DCP said.

In total, Rs 28.12 lakh in cash, a scooter, the car used in the offence and other incriminating material were recovered. During interrogation, police said, it was discovered that Shiva had conspired with his neighbours, including Karnail Singh and Rajeev, and shared details about the firm’s cash flow.

“The gang had also planned another armed robbery of over Rs 2 crore in Karol Bagh, which was foiled following their arrest,” the officer added.

Many of the accused are declared bad characters and are involved in multiple cases of armed robbery, snatching, attempt to murder and under the Arms Act in Delhi and the NCR region, he said.