₹75 lakh heist in Delhi's Ashok Vihar: How a fired worker's robbery plot was exposed by police

Six men and two juveniles were apprehended in connection with the robbery. ₹51.52 lakh and three mobile phones worth around ₹2.33 lakh have been recovered.

A case of daylight robbery in Delhi's Ashok Vihar on August 19 reportedly turned out to be a case of a disgruntled former employee who held a grudge against his employer. The group of alleged robbers barged into the Ashok Vihar home and carried out a heist of around ₹75 lakh and other valuables.

While one intruder stood guard over the victim, the others searched the residence for 20 to 25 minutes. (Representational Image (RAJ K RAJ /HT))

The hunt for the accused turned into an interstate crackdown after the police swung into action and tracked down the suspects across Punjab, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, news agency PTI reported.

What went down on the day of robbery

The alleged robbery occurred at around 11:35 am on August 19 in Delhi's Ashok Vihar. While Manoj Kumar, the owner of the house, was out for work along with his twin daughters, his wife Neera Verma, 54 was alone at home.

After the daughters left, Verma heard the lift arrive at her floor. Upon opening the door, she found two men near the staircase who asked for drinking water.

As she grew suspicious and attempted to close the iron gate, the men forced their way in. Following this, they dragged her inside and bound her legs with her chunni, held her at knifepoint, and were joined by two more associates.

The accused used brown packing tape to gag Verma and bind her hands and feet.

While one intruder stood guard over the victim, the others searched the residence for 20 to 25 minutes. They packed cash and valuables into their bags.

They also took handbags and clutches containing personal documents and additional cash. Subsequently, they fled from the scene of the crime.

Police action in the case

Six men and two juveniles have been apprehended in connection with the robbery.

The police have recovered ₹51.52 lakh and three mobile phones worth around ₹2.33 lakh.

The authorities also revealed that one of the apprehended minors allegedly orchestrated the robbery out of a personal grudge.

The juvenile, who emerged as the alleged mastermind, was a former employee of the victim's husband who had been fired for financial misconduct and held a grievance.

The same juvenile was also previously involved in a 2023 murder case registered at Ashok Vihar police station.

Police also said the accused had conducted reconnaissance of the house and the family's movements for around a month. It was also found that some of the conspirators stayed at a hotel in Sawan Park to assess the situation.

Initially, the accused had planned to enter the residence by posing as delivery agents.

Interstate crackdown to nab the accused

Following the heist, the accused dispersed in different directions; some travelled to Amritsar and Ghaziabad, while others stayed in Delhi. The report added that police launched an interstate manhunt to nab the accused.

The adult accused were identified as Naman Sharma (24) and Ansh Sharma (22), residents of Ashok Vihar, Deepak alias Dev (24), resident of Ghaziabad, Dinesh alias Ballu (38), Sahil (31), and Aryan alias Shera (22), residents of Amritsar

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

(with inputs from PTI)