Ad agency staffers, aide arrested for faking ₹37.5 lakh robbery in north Delhi

New Delhi: Two advertising agency employees and an associate were arrested on Thursday for allegedly staging a robbery, claiming that three unidentified bikers stole ₹37

New Delhi: Two advertising agency employees and an associate were arrested on Thursday for allegedly staging a robbery, claiming that three unidentified bikers stole ₹37.5 lakh belonging to the company owner on the Outer Ring Road near the Burari flyover in north Delhi, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred at Outer Ring Road near the Burari flyover in north Delhi on July 9. (Representative photo)

Police identified the two employees as Abhishek Singh and Yogesh Kumar, both 26. They hatched the conspiracy and included their 29-year-old associate, a former cafe owner who shut down his business six months ago due to losses, police said. They added that Vipin was among the three bikers, and ₹36.92 lakh of the looted money were recovered from his house.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (north) Niharika Bhatt said the Wazirabad police station was informed about the incident on Thursday evening. A police team reached the scene and met the complainant, Mohan Dass, an employee of the same company.

“Dass told the police that he, along with his two fellow employees – Abhishek and Yogesh – collected ₹45.5 lakh from Chandni Chowk and were on the way to delivering it to their employer’s house in Saraswati Vihar,” Bhatt said.

According to police, Dass and Abhishek were transporting ₹37.5 lakh in a bag on one motorcycle while Yogesh was riding another bike with ₹8 lakh. Around 6 pm, three unidentified bikers allegedly intercepted Dass’s bike near the Burari flyover, snatched the bag of ₹37.5 lakh, and fled towards Nirankari Bhawan.

Dass raised an alarm and chased the suspects with Abhishek. With the help of the passersby, they apprehended one suspect while the other two sped away with the cash, police said.

Thereafter, Abhishek and Yogesh took the apprehended suspect on their motorcycle and moved towards their office in Badli. Near the GTB Nagar metro station, the suspect fled after biting Yogesh on his shoulder. He was identified as Ghanshyam, and is still absconding.

The three employees and their employer then called the police.

Bhatt said a case of robbery was registered under Section 309 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the investigation began.

During the probe, the three employees were questioned, and CCTV footage of the routes they took was examined.

Investigators learnt that Abhishek had taken the apprehended suspect’s mobile phone and hid it in the motorcycle he was riding at the time. The phone was seized. Also, the bite mark on Yogesh’s shoulder did not appear genuine, giving investigators reasons to probe the duo’s role in the crime, police said.

Upon further interrogation, Abhishek and Yogesh confessed to their involvement in the crime and identified the co-conspirator, Vipin, police added.

“We laid a trap and found out that Vipin had been hiding in Jahangirpuri. He was arrested on Friday, and ₹36.92 lakh were recovered during the search of his house,” said an investigator, adding that they were looking for the other two bikers, including Ghanshyam, who are on the run.