The Delhi Police, on Sunday, arrested two men after a brief exchange of fire for allegedly robbing and attacking two US nationals, in southeast Delhi’s Astha Kunj Park, officials said.
According to police, the robbery took place on the intervening night of June 25 and 26, when a 28 year-old American national and his female friend were taking a late-night walk in Astha Kunj Park, which is located between the Nehru Place and Kailash Colony areas. Two men allegedly approached the couple and, after a brief altercation, attacked the male tourist with a knife, injuring both his hands. They then snatched the woman’s mobile phone and fled the scene.
The injured tourist was initially taken to a nearby private hospital for treatment but was later shifted to another hospital in Sarita Vihar, where he underwent surgery for his injuries. Based on a statement given by the female companion, who also filed the complaint, the police registered a case of robbery and voluntarily causing hurt.
As per the police, the US national was identified as Aradome Bela Kahn, who has been abandoned by his parents in childhood and since then he is under care of a lady Dr. Mala Sibal living in Delhi.
Aradome is a Law graduate from Symbiosis college, Pune and currently pursuing his LLM from a university in the USA. The lady who was accompanying him, is said to be his debate partner at university and his friend.
Following the incident, a special team was formed at the Amar Colony police station under the supervision of Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Aishwarya Sharma. The team conducted detailed technical surveillance and scanned CCTV footage from areas around Astha Kunj Park, Garhi, Nehru Place, and Kalkaji. Local informers were also roped in to trace the suspects.
The breakthrough came when the police received a tip-off about the movement of the accused in the early hours of Sunday. Acting on this information, the team laid a trap near the entry and exit points of Astha Kunj Park. Around 5:10 am, two men matching the description given by the complainant were seen approaching from the direction of the ISKCON Temple.
“When asked to surrender, the suspects opened fire on the police team,” said Additional DCP Sharma during a press briefing. “They fired three rounds. One bullet hit the bulletproof jacket of an inspector and another hit the jacket of a head constable. Thankfully, no police personnel were injured in the encounter.”
In response, the police fired three rounds, aiming at the legs of the accused to stop them. Both men were hit in their right legs and were quickly overpowered by the rest of the team. They were then taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where they are currently undergoing treatment under police supervision.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Jatin alias Mogli (20), a resident of Uttam Nagar, and Akshay Baithini (20), a resident of Amritpuri, Garhi. Jatin has two previous criminal cases registered against him, both involving assault and robbery. Akshay does not have any prior record, according to the police.
During questioning, Jatin revealed that he and Akshay were childhood friends and had studied together until class 5, after which both dropped out of school. Over time, they became addicted to alcohol and drugs and started committing crimes to fund their habits. Jatin admitted that they often targeted people in isolated areas such as parks and parking lots where there is minimal public presence.
“On the night of the robbery, they saw the American tourist and his friend walking alone in a quiet area of the park and decided to rob them,” said Sharma. “Jatin used a knife to injure the man while Akshay snatched the woman’s iPhone before the two fled.”
The police recovered a sophisticated pistol with two live rounds, a country-made pistol with one live cartridge, and three empty cartridges from the scene-evidence of the shots fired during the encounter. The stolen iPhone was also recovered from the accused.
According to the police, the duo had returned to the same area on Sunday, possibly to commit another robbery, when they were caught. Further investigation is underway to determine whether they were involved in any other recent crimes in the area.
Additional DCP Aishwarya Sharma said that this swift action sends a strong message that public safety remains a top priority for the Delhi Police. “We will continue to remain vigilant and act swiftly against those who attempt to disturb peace or endanger the safety of citizens, especially in public spaces like parks,” she said.
The case has been registered at Amar Colony police station, and efforts are ongoing to trace any other associates of the accused and check their possible links to other incidents of crime in the city.