Inspired by crime show, 2 men steal Rs 25 lakh from NGO office, arrested

Inspired by Crime Patrol, a true crime TV series, two men allegedly stole Rs 25 lakh from the office of an NGO in South West Delhi by cutting the almirah using a cutter, the police said on Saturday. They were arrested.

The accused have been identified as Rajender Kumar (43), a resident of R.K Puram, and Rajesh Kumar (36) from Burari.

Rajender, the driver of Odia Samaj Trust, allegedly drew inspiration from the TV show to plan the burglary and roped in Rajesh as his accomplice, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Amit Goel said in a statement.

The incident came to light on September 23 when a PCR call was received regarding a break-in at the office at Aradhana Enclave in RK Puram.

The complainant, Executive Director J R Das, told the police that cash was missing from an almirah that had been cut open. A case was registered at the Sarojini Nagar Police Station, the DCP added.

During the probe, police interrogated more than 40 suspects, examined technical surveillance and reviewed multiple CCTV footages.

In the CCTV analysis, the suspects were seen changing guise using a cap and towel before leaving the office in an auto-rickshaw.

The auto driver was traced and he revealed that he had dropped the other suspect at Netaji Nagar, the police said, adding that further CCTV tracking established Rajender’s presence in the area.

Rajender confessed to the crime and disclosed his accomplice’s involvement. The police later recovered Rs 14.50 lakh from Rajender’s in-laws’ house in Shahdara and Rs 9 lakh from Rajesh’s residence in Burari.

Both were produced before a court and sent on a two-day police remand. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and further investigation is underway, the police added.