Israeli facial recognition tech helps Delhi Police crack Rs 80 lakh robbery case; 2 held

An Israeli facial recognition system has helped Delhi Police solve a case of robbery at gunpoint, arrest two accused persons, and recover the entire stolen amount of Rs 80 lakh, officials said on Wednesday.

The arrested accused have been identified as Md Ali (21) and Samir (19), a police officer said.

A trader’s employee was allegedly robbed of Rs 80 lakh at gunpoint in the Chandni Chowk area on Monday. The accused fired a warning shot in the air before fleeing with the cash, the officer said.

Police analysed footage from nearly 500 CCTV cameras installed in Chandni Chowk, Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Daryaganj and Lahori Gate areas.

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An Israeli facial recognition technology was used to identify the prime suspect, Md Ali, which linked him to a previous case, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), Raja Banthia, said.

The officer said the Israeli technology helps identify accused persons using a complete database. In this case, police took a screen grab of the accused and matched his face with the database.

“The similarity score was 32.09 per cent. We got to know that the accused lived in Daryagang, where teams were already working to trace the Scooty used in the crime,” the DCP said.

On March 17, Ajmal Bhai Ganesh (49), an employee of R K Enterprises and a resident of Patan in Gujarat, collected Rs 80 lakh from the Kucha Ghasiram area around 7 pm, Banthia said.

“As he was heading towards his residence in Fatehpuri, Ganesh was intercepted by an armed man who attempted to snatch his bag. When Ganesh resisted, the accused fired a warning shot, seized the bag, and escaped,” the DCP said.

During probe, police identified a suspect wearing a blue shirt and a cap who followed the victim and was seen fleeing towards the Fatehpuri Masjid.

Another accused was seen escaping towards Lal Qila on a Scooty, the DCP said.

“Police later arrested Ali, a resident of Daryaganj, who disclosed the identity of his accomplice — Samir — during interrogation. Samir was arrested from Daryaganj,” Banthia said.

A raid at Samir’s residence led to the recovery of Rs 79.5 lakh in cash, a semi-automatic pistol with three bullets, and other incriminating materials, the DCP said.

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Ali had prior knowledge of cash movement in the Kucha Ghasiram area and had conducted a recce before targeting the victim, the officer said.

“While Ali identified the target, Samir executed the robbery. Both accused have been booked under the relevant sections of law,” the DCP said.