Three held for robbing cash exchange agent of ₹8 lakh in Gurugram

Gurugram: Police on Thursday night arrested three members of a gang who allegedly robbed ₹8 lakh from a currency exchange agent after throwing chilli powder into his eyes

Gurugram: Police on Thursday night arrested three members of a gang who allegedly robbed ₹8 lakh from a currency exchange agent after throwing chilli powder into his eyes. The suspects contacted the agent and called him to Sector 39 to exchange US$2,500 and robbed him, police added.

Gurugram, India-January 20, 2023: A team of crime branch sector-39 arrested the three accused for robbing rupees eight lakhs after assaulting a person called to exchange dollars, in Gurugram, India, on Friday, 20 January 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)(Pic to go with Leena Dhankar's story)

According to investigators, the incident took place around 5.30 pm near a liquor vend in Sector 39 on Tuesday, when the victim reached the spot for the cash exchange.

The victim, identified as Mohammad Ashif Khan, who works as an agent with a currency exchange firm, received a call from one of the suspects on Tuesday, who asked him to exchange US dollars. The caller had sent him the location on WhatsApp, police said.

Once Khan reached the destination, one of the suspects asked him to cross the road and sit in his car so that he can count the cash, police added.

As per investigators, the four suspects threw chilli powder in his eyes and took him hostage. They also threatened him with life and pushed him out of the moving car in Sector 29 after robbing ₹8 lakh from him.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said that the victim reached home and narrated his ordeal before his family members and later registered a case at Sadar police station against the four unidentified suspects.

“We scanned the CCTV footage and based on technical surveillance, three of the suspects were arrested from Sector 52 and Mullahera area near Sector 22 on Thursday night,” ACP Sangwan said.

The suspects have been identified as Anil Kumar (23), who works in a call centre, Ramjiwan alias Ram (20), a guesthouse worker and Jugnu (23), a cab driver. All of them are residents of Gurugram, police said.

ACP Sangwan said Ramjiwan, who works in a guesthouse, planned the crime after seeing visitors exchanging foreign currency through agents. He discussed the plan with his gang members and decided to rob the agent.

A case was registered under Section 392 (robbery) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sadar police station, police said, adding that the fourth suspect will be arrested at the earliest.