Delhi Police arrest 3 in major robbery bust

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, July 3

In a swift crackdown on a spree of armed robberies plaguing Burari and Swaroop Nagar, the Delhi Police have arrested three key suspects, including the alleged mastermind, implicated in over a dozen thefts over the past few months.

The operation, coordinated by a joint team from the Burari police station and the special staff of North district, culminated in the arrest of the trio following intensive scrutiny of 200 CCTV cameras. Their latest exploit, a brazen daylight robbery in Burari just few days ago, prompted a rapid response after a distress call on June 30.

Describing the details, a property dealer recounted how two masked assailants stormed his office at gunpoint, fleeing with Rs 50,000 in cash, along with jewellery, including a gold chain, a gold ring and a silver bangle. The subsequent investigation, bolstered by CCTV footage tracing their origins to Hiranki, Haryana, linked them conclusively to a series of similar incidents in Swaroop Nagar.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Manoj Kumar Meena of North district said, “Following an exhaustive CCTV analysis, we tracked the suspects to Sonepat, where Ravinder (37), the alleged motorcycle rider, and Mandeep Maan (30) were arrested. Interrogations led to the arrest of their accomplice, Arjun from Narwana, Jind, exposing their involvement in a broader network targeting local businesses in Burari and Rohini.”

Ravinder confessed to having committed robberies in Kaithal and Sonepat. Due to his family obligations, he took loans from his friends and was under pressure to repay them. He admitted to planning the recent robbery in Burari with Mandeep, who needed money to repay loans accrued from IPL betting. They conspired with Arjun to target shopkeepers in Burari and Rohini.

The police recovered four motorcycles, including two stolen bikes, a gold chain, a gold ring, a silver kada, a pistol with four cartridges, a toy pistol, clothes and a helmet worn during the offence.