Gangster Vikas Lagarpuria, wanted in connection with multi-crore Gurugram heist, held in Dubai

STF officers said that they had been looking for the gangster as he was the mastermind of the 2021 ₹40 crore heist in Gurugram, in connection with which two doctors, a Delhi cop and one Haryana IPS officer have also been arrested

In a major breakthrough in the multi-crore Gurugram heist case, the Interpol apprehended gangster Vikas Lagarpuria in Dubai, and a team comprising officers of the Delhi Police and special task force (STF) is working to deport him, authorities said on Friday.

Last week, two aides of Lagarpuria, Chetan Maan alias Boxer and Dheerpal alias Dhillu alias Kana, were arrested by the Delhi Police. Maan, a former national-level boxer, was among the suspects who allegedly executed the theft. (Representational image/Getty)

According to police, Lagarpuria has been on the run for the past seven years after the Delhi Police issued a red corner notice against him. The STF issued a lookout notice against the gangster three months ago, said police. Officers associated with the investigation said that STF traced him to Dubai and shared the information with Interpol, following which his whereabouts were shared with the Dubai police.

“We received information that he had travelled to Dubai on a fake passport. A case was also registered against him for getting a fake passport made,” said Satheesh Balan, inspector general, STF Haryana.

“We will take him for questioning in connection with the multi-crore heist case,” said a senior STF official.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that they will also seek to remand him in their custody in connection with a few cases lodged in Gurugram.

Police said Lagarpuria, who belongs to Badli village in Jhajjar, Haryana, has more than 30 criminal cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, robbery, extortion, and kidnapping. He has also been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. STF officers said that they had been looking for the gangster as he was the mastermind of the 2021 ₹40 crore heist in Gurugram, in connection with which two doctors, a Delhi cop and one Haryana IPS officer have also been arrested. Despite all its efforts, the STF has failed to recover over ₹22 crore of the loot, and claim Lagarpuria could lead them to it.

Last week, two aides of Lagarpuria, Chetan Maan alias Boxer and Dheerpal alias Dhillu alias Kana, were arrested by the Delhi Police. Maan, a former national-level boxer, was among the suspects who allegedly executed the theft.

Days before the multi-crore heist took place in a residential society in Sector 84 on August 4, 2021, Lagarpuria, one of the prime suspects, had asked his henchmen to rent a flat in the same society to keep a watch on two apartments-- one on the fourth floor and the other on 11th floor --that were being used as maintenance offices by the developer of the residential society, said senior officials of the Haryana STF. It took the gangster and his men 10 days to execute the plan, which involved 20 people, including policemen, doctors, and financers, said officials.

STF officials said the theft came to the fore on August 20 when an employee of the developer visited the maintenance office to collect cash to deposit it in the bank. After scanning footage from CCTV cameras, the realtor discovered that the money was stolen, they said.

On August 21, a case of theft was registered at Kherki Daula police station. The case was transferred to the STF on October 30 after allegations of unaccounted money and the involvement of Haryana IPS officer Dheeraj Setia came to the fore. The STF revealed that gold and cash, including US dollars, worth at least ₹40 crore, were stolen.

So far, 16 people, including six henchmen of the gangster, three doctors, two employees of the developer, two financers and an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the Delhi Police are suspects in the case. On November 10, the STF arrested two doctors -- Dr Sachinder Jain Nawal, a paediatrician who owns two hospitals in Gurugram, and Dr Gurpartap Singh.

In February this year, a high court granted interim bail to Setia, said police, who was suspended by the Haryana government on November 11, 2021, after being asked to join the investigation on the basis of a confessional statement made by one of the suspects.

The information regarding the money in the maintenance offices was allegedly leaked to Dr Nawal in July, and passed on to gangster Lagarpuria, officials said.

“The apartments were unattended at night and there were no lockers. The bags containing money were kept in the almirahs,” Satheesh Balan, inspector general, STF Haryana, said, adding that other residents of the building were not aware of the theft.