Crime Branch arrested three persons for stealing Rs 16 lakh cash in old currency notes at North-west Delhi’s Ashok Vihar on November 12.
According to Ravindra Yadav, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), the accused have been identified as Harkesh Sharma (30), Rajesh Kumar (36) and Ram lakhan (42). Sharma is the prime accused and kingpin of
the gang.
Police said that the complainant, Hitender Doshi, had alleged that he came to Delhi from Kolkata on November 7 and collected Rs 16 lakh cash in old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 from his business friends. One of his friends, Shakti Gupta, convinced him to deposit this amount in Gupta’s IDBI Bank account at the Ashok Vihar Branch, which would be later transferred to Doshi’s account.
On November 12, Doshi reached the bank along with another friend Daya Shankar Bhardwaj. Gupta along with the accused, Harikesh Sharma, came and met them. Doshi handed over his cash bag having Rs 16 lakhs to Shukla, who went inside the bank with the bag and did not turn up. His phone was switched off.
In the CCTV footage, it was revealed that Shukla handed over the cash bag to someone inside the bank and after that he and the other person went out of the bank with the cash.
On December 20, after a preliminary inquiry in the matter, a case under relevant sections was registered and investigation taken up by the Northern Range, Crime Branch.
On December 23, the police team apprehended the accused, who were subsequently arrested.
“Sharma hatched a plan to grasp the whole money from the victim. He contacted another accused, Rajesh Kumar, who was working in IDBI, Civil lines Branch as Sales Officer and regularly visited the Ashok Vihar Branch and knew many bank officials there. Kumar assured him that he would convert the money in new currency notes in the greed of commission,” said Yadav.
Sharma also included one of his friends, Ram lakhan. After taking the cash bag from the victim, Sharma then handed over this bag to Kumar. As per their plan, lakhan put all the currency notes in his jacket with the help of Kumar. Both fled from the spot. Shukla also disappeared after pretending to go to washroom.
The whole incident was captured on CCTV and footage was collected during investigation, which helped police in identifying the accused persons, said police.