Gang posing as CBI officials robs businessman of Rs 2.5 cr

In a case straight out of the Bollywood thriller “Special 26”, the Delhi’s Vivek Vihar police cracked a high-profile robbery involving a fake Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) gang that looted nearly Rs 2.5 crore from a businessman under the guise of a raid.

The police have arrested three key members of the gang and recovered Rs 1.25 crore in cash, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam.

The incident took place on August 19 when four persons posing as CBI officers targeted Manpreet Singh, a Ghaziabad-based businessman engaged in finance, property dealing and construction.

According to the complaint, Manpreet asked his friend Ravi Shankar to collect Rs 1.10 crore from the house where they keep the money. As Shankar stepped out with the cash, he was confronted by four individuals, including a woman, who flashed fake IDs with government logos, carried walkie-talkies and claimed to be CBI personnel.

They snatched the bag and later stormed into the house where they assaulted Singh’s employee, Deepak Maheshwari, before seizing more cash.

The gang bundled both victims into a vehicle, threatened them with dire consequences, if they reported the matter, and later abandoned them at two different locations — Chintamani Underpass and Nigambodh Ghat.

Sensing the gravity of the crime, a special team was formed that scanned over 100 CCTV cameras. The team identified two cars used in the crime and traced them to Faridabad, where their drivers revealed that the vehicles had been hired by an NGO named “Crime Bureau of Investigation”, operating out of Saidulajab near the Saket Metro station, the cop added.

When the police raided the NGO’s office, they apprehended Papori Baruah (30), secretary of the NGO, and Deepak (32), a resident of Tughlaqabad, recovering Rs 1.08 crore from their possession.

Later, Ram Singh Meena (62), Director of the NGO, was also arrested. The DCP mentioned that the gang comprised four women and several male accomplices who executed the heist with meticulous planning, imitating official raids.