Robbers pose as revenue officials, loot gold and cash worth ₹79 lakh in Palwal

Thieves posing as DRI officials looted ₹80 lakh in gold and cash from bullion trader employees on NH-19 in Palwal, escaping in three cars.

At least a dozen unidentified suspects in three cars intercepted two employees of a bullion trader on NH-19 in Palwal on Thursday and looted gold and cash worth nearly ₹80 lakh by impersonating officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), investigators said on Thursday.

The suspects intercepted the car on the highway by blocking it with three vehicles (Photo for representation)

The valuables, according to the officials cited above, belonged to businessman Vikas Jain, who has his shop in Palwal main market. His driver Raj Kumar and employee Vijay Kumar were travelling in a car to deposit ₹31 lakh cash in a bank in Faridabad and hand over approximately 350 grams of gold worth at least ₹48 lakh to a goldsmith in Karol Bagh, Delhi, for preparing ornaments, according to investigators aware of the case details.

The suspects intercepted the car on the highway by blocking it with three vehicles, including a Hyundai Creta and a Maruti Ertiga. “At least 11 to 12 people came out and surrounded the duo, identifying themselves as DRI officials. Two of them got inside the car and asked Raj and Vijay to show what they were carrying,” a senior police official said.

The suspects took the bag containing cash and gold as soon as the duo showed it to them. They forced both employees to switch off their phones and took away the car keys. While leaving, they asked Vijay to accompany them in their car and freed him several kilometres away.

Vishal Jain, a brother of the victim businessman, said confusion persisted for hours as information reached them late because both employees were separated and their phones were taken away. An FIR has been registered at City Palwal police station.

Inspector Parkash Chand, station house officer, said CCTV footage of the three cars moving behind the trader’s car has surfaced. Multiple teams of the crime branch have been pressed into action to carry out raids across Delhi-NCR. Police said the suspects fled out of Palwal by taking the highway.