Behind Rs 1.5-crore heist in Delhi, employee looking to make a quick buck

A cash-handling firm employee’s greed to make a quick buck allegedly triggered one of the most daring armed robberies in Delhi. Investigators have found that the Rs 1.5-crore heist near Inderlok in June was meticulously planned using insider information allegedly leaked by the company’s own employee.

The daylight robbery, carried out at gunpoint on June 10, was cracked within 11 days after Delhi Police analysed footage from over 500 CCTV cameras, tracked the accused across eight states and nearly 4,000 km, and arrested all six accused and apprehended two juveniles. Police have recovered Rs 1.01 crore of the looted cash.

Announcing the breakthrough at a press conference Tuesday, Joint Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma said the case reflected both the danger posed by insider leaks and the importance of coordinated policing.

“This was a meticulously planned robbery facilitated by an insider who misused the trust reposed in him by his employer. The investigation required seamless coordination between the district police and the Crime Branch, extensive technical analysis and sustained inter-state operations. Despite the accused constantly changing locations across several states, our teams tracked every lead, arrested all the conspirators and recovered a substantial portion of the robbed cash,” Verma said.

The case

According to investigators, Karan, 26, the employee, had intimate knowledge of the movement of large cash consignments. Driven by financial greed, he allegedly began sharing real-time information about cash movement with his associates Viresh alias Veeru and Manpreet alias Twinkle; they, in turn, roped in habitual offenders Vicky alias Ganja and Dhir Singh to execute the robbery.

Police said on June 10, complainant Nitin and his colleague, Karan, were transporting around Rs 1.5 crore in cash in two bags on a scooter from Paschim Vihar. As they reached near the Zakhira flyover in the Sarai Rohilla area, two helmet-clad men riding a numberless red Pulsar motorcycle intercepted them. One of the assailants pointed a pistol at the victims before fleeing with the cash-filled bags.

A case was registered at Sarai Rohilla police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act.

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Investigators soon found that the robbery had been choreographed well in advance. Joint teams from Sarai Rohilla police station, the North district Special Staff and the Crime Branch reconstructed the sequence of events through technical analysis.

The probe

Police said CCTV footage revealed that the accused had begun tailing the cash vehicle from Paschim Vihar before striking near Inderlok and escaping towards Punjabi Bagh.

As investigators expanded the CCTV trail, they identified not only the red Pulsar but also a scooter and a Maruti Swift car used at different stages of the crime. The registration details of the scooter led police to two juveniles, whose questioning pointed investigators towards Viresh.

Police said Viresh’s questioning exposed the larger conspiracy, leading to the apprehension of Manpreet and eventually Karan, who had allegedly been sharing the complainant’s live location throughout the journey.

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Police said Karan’s questioning pointed to the involvement of Manpreet’s father, Charanjeet Singh, who allegedly participated in the conspiracy and helped conceal the stolen money. Nearly Rs 49.5 lakh was recovered from Karan, Viresh and Charanjeet.

Interstate pursuit

Police said the search for the two armed robbers, Vicky and Dhir Singh, turned into an interstate pursuit.

By identifying the owner of the Maruti Swift used in the crime, investigators established their identities. Police said the duo had fled Delhi immediately after the robbery and travelled through Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab before reaching Jammu in an attempt to evade arrest.

Officials said police teams maintained surveillance and pursued them continuously for 11 days. When the two began returning to Delhi, officers intercepted and arrested them on June 22. Another Rs 52 lakh was recovered from their possession.

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According to investigators, after the robbery, the gang regrouped in Tilak Nagar, divided the cash among themselves and dispersed in different directions. Some of the accused also purchased new mobile phones using the stolen money, which have since been seized.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia, who supervised the investigation, said the case was solved by combining technical evidence with sustained fieldwork.

“The investigation established that the conspiracy originated from within the victim company. Our teams painstakingly analysed more than 500 CCTV cameras, reconstructed the movement of multiple vehicles and pursued the accused across eight states for 11 days. Every member of the conspiracy has been accounted for, and more than Rs 1 crore of the robbed cash has been recovered,” Banthia said.

Among those arrested are Vicky alias Ganja, a 41-year-old with nine previous criminal cases, and Dhir Singh, 43, who has been involved in 18 criminal cases.

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Both had recently been released from jail. The remaining accused include Viresh alias Veeru, Karan, Manpreet alias Twinkle, Charanjeet Singh and two juveniles who allegedly arranged the motorcycle and scooter used in the robbery.