Four arrested for robbery at Noida businessman’s house at gunpoint

Just after the robbery, Noida Police were alerted by Singh’s daughter Gurkiran Kaur on emergency helpline number 112, after which eight teams were formed

Noida: Four armed suspects, who allegedly robbed a 62-year-old businessman’s family in Sector 30, Noida, early Monday morning of ₹3.5 lakh in cash at gunpoint, were arrested on Sunday after a brief exchange of fire in Sector 18 locality, officers said.

Police said that ₹2.5 lakh in cash, documents, e-commerce big-basket e-rickshaw, two two-wheelers, and four illegal country-made firearms were recovered from their possession. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Police confiscated ₹2.5 lakh in cash, firearms, and some documents from the suspects’ possession. They were identified as Anas, 20; Sameer, 19 (both having single names); and Azaz Alam, 20, all originally hailing from Araria, Bihar, and Shahnawaz (single name), 22, from Supaul in Bihar. Three of them reside with their family in Phase 1, Noida but Anas lives in Ashok Nagar, Delhi, they added.

On Monday (December 23) around 3.30 am, a gang of four armed men had entered the home of Amardeep Singh, who has a suitcase manufacturing business and lives with his family of seven in Block B of Sector 30.

Just after the robbery, Noida Police were alerted by Singh’s daughter Gurkiran Kaur on emergency helpline number 112, after which eight teams were formed.

“After a week of investigation, we nabbed the suspect after a brief gunfight from Sector 18 locality,” said Ram Badan Singh, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Noida.

“We scanned hundreds of CCTV cameras fitted in Noida and Greater Noida. During the investigation, it was revealed that Anas was the mastermind, and he roped three of his friends to commit the theft,” the DCP said.

“They targeted Singh’s home around a week back as there is an empty plot next to his house. Around 1.30 am, they stole an e-commerce big basket e-rickshaw from Sector 15 and reached Sector 30. Two were driving the e-rickshaw while two hid inside the basket,” said DCP Singh, adding that around 2.55 am, when Singh’s son Jaskiran Singh, 25, left home to drop his friends in a nearby area, they secretly gained entry inside the home in the presence of security guard Avadh Bihari, who fell asleep.

Jaskiran’s friends, who reside in the neighbourhood had come to play video games at Singh’s home as his family members had gone to attend a function.

“An electric lock is placed in the main door, but Jaskiran put stopper on the gate, so no one gets disturbed when he returns late at night,” said DCP Singh, adding that during that period the robbers gained access and started searching the ground floor of the house.

When they were searching Gurkiran’s room, she woke up, and the robbers asked her to give cash. “Initially, she believed that they were Jaskiran’s friends, so she laughed and asked them to stop the act, but as they pulled out guns, she started shouting, after which the entire family woke up,” DCP Singh said, adding that later they reached the first floor and robbed cash ₹3.5 lakh and a bag full of documents, suspecting that ornaments were kept inside it.

Police said as they came to know that Gurkiran had dialled police on 112, they threatened the family to drop them on Expressway in their Maruti Suzuki Swift or face dire consequences. “Robbers, along with Gurkiran, were seated on the rear seat of the car while Kaur was on the passenger seat next to Singh, who was driving the vehicle,” said DCP Singh.

According to their plan, Sameer waited outside the home, and three entered inside. They planned to commit theft, but as Gurkiran woke up, they pulled out a gun and executed the backup plan, said police, adding that after the robbery, Sameer left the spot on foot while three alighted from Singh’s car near Sector 137.

Police investigation revealed that cases like theft and the Arms Act were already registered against Shahnawaz and Azaz. Their family members were aware of the theft, and they gave money to their families for shopping.

Police said that ₹2.5 lakh in cash, documents, e-commerce big-basket e-rickshaw, two two-wheelers, and four illegal country-made firearms were recovered from their possession. It added that a case under sections 309(4) (robbery), 331(6) (house trespassing), and 140(4) (kidnapping) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against them at the Sector 20 police station, and efforts are underway to nab their accomplices who were involved in the crime.