6-day chase across 3 states, 500 CCTV trail: Delhi Police bust Rs 54 lakh robbery case

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police arrested six people on Wednesday and recovered Rs 50 lakh in a robbery case that was later found to be a self-staged crime after six days of intensive investigation. Police officials said the case, involving Rs 54.5 lakh and reported by an employee of a money transfer agent in Old Delhi, was later revealed to be a multi-state operation spanning Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.The case surfaced on May 26 after Vasudev, 23, a resident of Rajasthan’s Bikaner who was employed with a money transfer agent in Delhi, approached police claiming that two men had robbed him of a bag containing Rs 54.5 lakh near Fatehpuri in the Chandni Chowk area.Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and an investigation was initiated.Vasudev told police that his employer had assigned him to deliver the cash to a money transfer office in Kucha Ghasiram. He alleged that after getting down from a Rapido auto near SPM Road at around 11 am, two men assaulted him, snatched the bag containing the cash and his mobile phone, tore his shirt and fled towards Pul Mithai.Police then began the investigation, scanning footage from over 500 CCTV cameras to trace the route allegedly taken by the robbers. During the investigation, officials found multiple discrepancies in Vasudev’s account, news agency PTI reported.“The complainant neither resisted the robbers nor attempted to chase them. The suspects appeared to be waiting for a specific person and had information about cash movement. The complainant also changed his statements during questioning and even pretended to lose consciousness shortly after the incident,” a senior police officer said.During interrogation, Vasudev allegedly admitted that he had conspired with his cousin Purushottam and four other associates from Rajasthan to misappropriate the money by staging a robbery.Police said Vasudev had shared details of his job and the movement of large cash amounts with his cousin. The group then devised a plan to fake a robbery whenever he was tasked with delivering a substantial sum.Investigators said four of the accused travelled to Delhi and checked into a hotel in Sarai Rohilla before executing the plan. Two of them enacted the staged robbery, while the remaining accused stayed nearby to assist.The accused have been identified as Vasudev, Purushottam, Ram Niwas, Kamal Bharti, Manful Mund and Manoj Motasara, all residents of Rajasthan.After the confession, police conducted raids in Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. Purushottam was arrested from Rajasthan’s Jalore district on May 28. Kamal Bharti and Manful Mund were apprehended from Bikaner on May 29 and May 30, respectively.Another accused, Manoj Motasara, was arrested from Roorkee in Uttarakhand on May 31, leading to the recovery of Rs 16 lakh. The sixth accused, Ram Niwas, was arrested from a hotel in Nagaur, Rajasthan, on June 2, resulting in the recovery of Rs 34 lakh.Police said the six-day operation spanned nearly 3,500 kilometres and involved extensive technical surveillance, CCTV scrutiny and interstate raids.Further investigation is underway, and efforts are being made to recover the remaining amount, police said.(With PTI inputs)