Model Town heist: Man arrested, part of Rs 27 lakh recovered

Delhi Police has arrested a man, working in a private company in northwest Delhi’s Model Town area, for allegedly fleeing with Rs 27 lakh entrusted to him by his employer, an official said on Tuesday.

Jitender Mehta alias Jeet (37) was arrested on Monday from Ludhiana in Punjab, days after he went missing along with the cash and a scooter belonging to the complainant.

According to the police, a complaint was lodged on July 18 by Ram Kumar Verma, a resident of Gagan Vihar, who alleged that his employee Mehta had disappeared after being entrusted with a sum of Rs 27 lakh collected from his office at Model Town on July 15.

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“Verma told the police that around 5 pm that day, Mehta collected the cash and left the premises on his scooter. Soon after, his mobile phone was found switched off and he became untraceable. Following this, a case was registered at Model Town police station,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Bhisham Singh.

He added that a team was formed immediately to trace Mehta and recover the money. The team began its investigation by analysing CCTV footage near the scene and conducting field enquiries. With the help of technical surveillance, the location was traced to Ludhiana in Punjab.

“Teams were sent to Punjab and he was apprehended from Ludhiana on July 20 while he was trying to shift to a new location to avoid arrest,” Singh said.

During interrogation, Mehta admitted to his involvement in the theft. He told police that he was working as an equity dealer in Verma’s company and was trusted with the task of collecting money from the office. On July 15, he collected the amount, absconded with the cash and used the complainant’s scooter to flee the area.

Police have recovered Rs 14.05 lakh in cash from Mehta, along with the scooter and a mobile phone purchased from the stolen money. An additional Rs 10.5 lakh was traced to two separate bank accounts linked to the accused. The remaining cash is yet to be recovered.

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“He intended to make easy money and maintain a high-end lifestyle,” the DCP said.

Police said Mehta had no previous criminal involvement.