7 arrested in Pragati Maidan tunnel robbery case

New Delhi: Seven people have been arrested in connection with the gunpoint robbery of a delivery agent and his associate inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel here, police said on Tuesday.

The accused robbed them of about Rs 2 lakh on Saturday when they were on their way in a taxi to Gurugram in Haryana to deliver the money. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused carried out recces on Thursday and Friday, and were on the look out. On Saturday, they executed the robbery, a senior police officer said.

CCTV camera footage received by the Delhi Police showed four motorcycle-borne men intercepted the car and robbed the delivery agent of Omiya Enterprises, Chandni Chowk, and his associate.

The accused have been identified as Usman Ali alias Kallu, Irfan, Sumit alias Akash, residents of Burari; Anuj Mishra alias Sanki, a resident of Bhalaswa Dairy; Kuldeep alias Lungad, a resident of Jahangirpuri; Pradeep alias Sonu, a resident of Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh; and Amit alias Bala, a resident of Loni in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

They were following the taxi and chose to stop it inside the tunnel as they had a higher chance of success to execute the robbery. People usually do not stop in tunnels and drive through them at speed, according to police.

The victims had booked the taxi from Red Fort and when it entered the Pragati Maidan tunnel, the four men waylaid the vehicle, they said.

Police said the victims tried to resist, but the accused snatched a bag, containing the cash, at gunpoint and fled.

Following the incident, raids were conducted at different places in Delhi and Haryana, and Usman, Mishra and Kuldeep were arrested, Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Singh Yadav said. Police added that later, the others were nabbed.

Usman and Pradeep have been identified as the main conspirators, they said.

Police said Usman had knowledge about cash movement in the Chandni Chowk area as he had been working there as a courier boy with an e-commerce company for several years.

On Usman, Yadav said, he had taken loans from several banks and had also lost money in cricket betting. He was desperate for money to pay his debts and had planned to rob businessmen who carried cash, he said.

He provided information and had identified the target, Yadav said on the Saturday robbery.

The accused knew that cash transactions took place between 2 pm to 5 pm in the Chandni Chowk area and it was then, they had started identifying their target, police said.

Usman had passed on information to his associates about a Haryana number plate taxi being booked and the possibility of cash being transported, police said.

They said that while Mishra works as a mechanic on contract with the Delhi Jal Board, Kuldeep is a vegetable vendor and had arranged the pistol and bullets for the robbery.

Irfan is a barber and he came in touch with the others through his cousin Usman. Sumit is also a vegetable vendor and sometimes waited tables in parties. He came in contact with the others through a person identified as Sunny, police said.

Pradeep was in judicial custody for eight years in a ransom case and was released two years ago from jail, they said.

Police said Amit came in contact with Usman through Pradeep. Two days before the incident, he met with Usman and the others at Usman’s flat at Burari for the planning of the robbery.

The motorcycles, with fake number plates, used in the crime, Rs 4.98 lakh and a pistol with two live cartridges have been seized, they said.

Kuldeep was previously involved in 16 cases of snatching and robbery, Mishra is named in five criminal cases, and Pradeep was involved in 37 criminal cases, police said.

The case is now being investigated by the Crime Branch and raids are being conducted to arrest others, they said. Police said as of now, no internal involvement has come to light.

Mishra and Amit were on one motorcycle and Irfan with one more person on the other. It has also been learnt that a scooter was used in the incident. However, this is being verified, they said.

The 22-second footage shows the four men following the taxi on two motorcycles and intercepting it inside the tunnel as other vehicles passed by.

As the taxi stopped, two men, wearing helmets, got off the motorcycles. One of them went towards the driver’s side and the other to the rear door on the other side and whipped out their pistols.

The footage then showed both the car gates open and the man at the rear end being handed over a black-coloured handbag, apparently carrying money. The two then quickly hopped onto their waiting motorcycles and fled with their accomplices.