Two robbers arrested within hours of looting jewellery shop in Delhi

An incident of daylight robbery and firing was reported from Najafgarh in south-west Delhi on Tuesday after two men allegedly barged into a jewellery shop there, and made off with ₹25,000 after holding the shop owner at gunpoint

An incident of daylight robbery and firing was reported from Najafgarh in south-west Delhi on Tuesday after two men allegedly barged into a jewellery shop there, and made off with ₹25,000 after holding the shop owner at gunpoint. The 46-year-old brother of the shop owner was shot and injured when he tried to raise the alarm just as the two men were fleeing. The bullet hit the man, identified only by his first name as Rajesh, in the jaw and he is currently undergoing treatment, the police said.

HT Image

Acting swiftly on their complaint, the Dwarka district police formed multiple police teams which managed to track and arrest the suspects within a couple of hours.

The suspects were cornered on the roof of a temple, nearly 700 metres from the jewellery shop, and arrested after a brief exchange of fire, during which one of them suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. Both of them are from Jhajjar district in Haryana, police said, adding that though they claimed to be minors, police are verifying their age.

The duo also told the police that three more persons from their home town were involved in the robbery. The police are looking for them as well, said deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Harsha Vardhan Mandava.

Explaining the sequence of events, the DCP said Rajesh was alone at the jewellery shop, which deals only in silver ornaments, around noon. His younger brother Mukesh, who is a part owner of the shop, had gone out to pick up his son from school.

Police said Rajesh was seated in one of the chairs meant for customers when the two suspects entered the shop, pointed a gun at him and asked him to hand over all the cash and costly ornaments.

As the shop owner’s chair was empty, Rajesh told the robbers that he was not the owner but a customer who was waiting for the owner. One of the robbers jumped over the cash counter and collected the cash in the cash box. While the two were busy with this, Rajesh tried to flee. As he ran out, the duo panicked and fired at him, the police said.

“The bullet hit Rajesh on the right side of his jaw and he collapsed on the street. The two suspects fled and a few locals rushed to help Rajesh, inform his brother and take him to a nearby hospital,” said a senior police officer, who asked not to be named.

DCP Mandava said the incident was reported to them by Mukesh. Several teams were formed and were tasked to identify and nab the suspects. As the area where the crime took place was covered by several CCTV cameras, the teams started scanning the footage. They also scanned cameras installed on the route that the suspects had taken.

“Around 2.30pm, within two and a half hours, our teams zeroed in on the suspects hiding on the roof a temple in Haibbatpura in Najafgarh, less than a kilometre from the jewellery shop. In a bid to escape, one of them fired at the police party. We fired twice in self-defence. One bullet hit one of the men and both were overpowered,” added the DCP.

The two told the police that they were dropped near the jewellery shop by their three associates. Police said all five had arrived in Delhi on Tuesday morning. The motorbike used in the crime was stolen from Jhajjar area some days ago.

“The two were expecting to be picked up from the temple by their associate. In fact, their associate had arrived there but fled on the police team and the gunfight. We are now looking for the three absconding suspects,” Mandava said.