‘Special 5’: Five men pose as police, I-T officials, make off with gold worth ₹1 crore in Delhi ‘raid’

A police officer aware of the matter said that the thieves also took away the DVR disc of the CCTV camera system before leaving the premises

NEW DELHI: A group of five men, one wearing a Delhi Police uniform and others wearing civilian clothes, posed as officials of the Income Tax (I-T) department and made away with over a kilogram of gold, worth over ₹1 crore, from a jewellery-making workshop in Karol Bagh on Thursday evening, police said.

Senior officers said the use of a police uniform indicates planning and an attempt to prevent suspicion in a neighbourhood where enforcement agencies frequently conduct inspections. (Representative photo)

A police officer aware of the matter said that the thieves also took away the DVR disc of the CCTV camera system before leaving the premises, in a bid to leave no clue behind.

“The incident was reported around 4pm from Dev Nagar, where jeweller Madan Mandal runs a small workshop on the fourth floor of a congested lane in Block 2. Mandal said that he six to seven workers were present at the time of the ‘raid’,” the officer said.

According to police, Mandal said that the men arrived together and introduced themselves as officials conducting a GST-related inspection.

The group allegedly questioned Mandal about tax payments, asked to see documents, and began checking drawers and storage units inside the workshop. Believing they were officials, Mandal said he complied with their directions. “The men then allegedly collected approximately 1kg and 1gm of gold kept for processing. Before leaving, they disconnected and removed the CCTV DVR, telling the workers it would be examined as part of the ‘departmental procedure’,” the officer said.

It was only after the men stepped out and Mandal tried calling a known I-T officer for verification that he realised he had been duped, police said, adding that he then called the police control room. A team from Prasad Nagar police station then visited the workshop and recorded their statements.

Senior officers said the use of a police uniform indicates planning and an attempt to prevent suspicion in a neighbourhood where enforcement agencies frequently conduct inspections. “Teams are scanning footage from external street-facing cameras and shops in adjoining lanes to trace the route the men may have taken after exiting the building. Teams have also begun checking for similar complaints in the area in recent months,” the officer said.

A case under sections 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Prasad Nagar police station. Police said they are analysing call records of all workers present at the workshop and verifying whether the group may have conducted a recce earlier or any employees were involved.