Murder accused robs Delhi man using toy gun to avoid accidentally shooting him

The main suspect, Nafis Malik, a resident of Jafrabad, is said to be a part of the Chhenu Pehalwan gang, which operates within Delhi’s trans-Yamuna region

A 34-year-old man used a toy pistol to carry out a robbery in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar last week with the help of an associate because he feared he would end up shooting his victim if he carried a real gun, the Delhi Police said on Monday after arresting the two suspects.

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The main suspect, Nafis Malik, a resident of Jafrabad, is said to be a part of the Chhenu Pehalwan gang, which operates within Delhi’s trans-Yamuna region, said police officers associated with the case.

“In 2017, Malik was involved in a murder case and served time in jail. As a result, he was hesitant to use a real gun, fearing he might kill someone again,” said Rohit Meena, deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara), adding, “We have arrested Malik and his associate, Arjun Kashyap, 27, and confiscated the toy gun, among other evidence.”

According to officers involved in the case, Malik and Kashyap had targeted a businessman since the beginning of the month. The suspects saw Lalit Kumar, a garment shop owner in Gandhi Nagar, carrying a bag while returning home from work, leading them to believe it contained large sums of cash. However, on the day of the crime, May 9, Kumar only had ₹2,000 and his shop keys in the bag.

Around 8 pm, as Kumar was heading towards a Metro station, the suspects, who arrived at the spot on a scooter, attacked him with a helmet, causing him to fall, said investigators. Malik then attempted to snatch Kumar’s bag; however, Kumar resisted, leading Malik to brandish his toy gun, said officers.

Kumar then raised an alarm, forcing the suspects to flee. “They were forced to abandon their scooter but managed to snatch Kumar’s bag,” said the DCP.

During their investigation, the police discovered that the scooter was stolen. As a result, they concentrated on CCTV footage, scanning images from more than 200 cameras, according to the DCP

“The suspects made every effort to deceive us. One of them even changed his shirt to a t-shirt shortly after the crime, expecting investigators to review CCTV footage,” said DCP Meena.

Despite their efforts, Kashyap was caught on CCTV fleeing in an e-rickshaw, said investigators, adding this allowed them to apprehend Kashyap at his home in Kailash Nagar on Sunday. Kashyap led investigators to Malik, who was arrested from Jafrabad later the same day, and the stolen items were recovered, added Meena.