Minor apprehended for Civil Lines murder, theft

The police have also stepped up efforts to search for the co-accused and recover the money, which amounts to around ₹50 lakh..

Two days after a 77-year-old man was murdered and around ₹50 lakh stolen from his house in Civil Lines, the Delhi Police on Tuesday apprehended a 16-year-old boy for the crime from near Connaught Place, with investigators saying he was traced through his Metro card.

The Civil Lines home where the robbery-murder took place. (ANI)

Police said they have also stepped up efforts to search for the co-accused and recover the money.

Investigators said they first looked at the teenager and the co-accused as persons of interest as CCTV footage from near the crime spot showed them on Sunday, the day of the murder, and on days prior to it as well.

A senior officer of the crime branch said that a day before the crime, the accused parked his bike near the victim’s residence and then took the Metro from Civil Lines station.

“We had scanned over 300 CCTV cameras...,” said the police officer.

Subsequently, the police got details of the Metro card used by the accused and directed Delhi Metro officials to alert them whenever it is used again. “We extracted the details of the card and apprehended him when he swiped it again on Tuesday evening at Rajiv Chowk,” said a senior officer of the Metro unit.

Deputy commissioner of police (north) Sagar Singh Kalsi said that it is early to rule out an inside hand in the crime.