Ghaziabad: Three arrested for ₹1 crore heist at industrialist’s house

A domestic help and two accomplices were arrested for a ₹1 crore robbery from an industrialist's home in Ghaziabad, aided by a fourth suspect on the run.

A domestic help and his two accomplices were arrested on Friday allegedly for carrying out an armed robbery of over ₹1 crore worth of valuables and cash from an industrialist’s house in Block A of Kavi Nagar in Ghaziabad on Tuesday night.

The entire heist was planned by the house help Chandan who was aware of the places where cash and jewellery were kept and was staying with the family for the past two years and got the position through a person known to Gupta. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Senior police officers said the three arrested have no criminal history, and one more accomplice is currently on the run.

Police identified the arrested as the industrialist’s house help Chandan Kumar, 20, Chandan’s brother-in-law Sunil Kumar, 28, and his friend Om Prakash, 20. They did not disclose the name of the fourth suspect, who is on the run.

According to the FIR, two unidentified armed and masked men overpowered industrialist RD Gupta, 78, and his wife Sumitra Gupta, 77, at their home around 8.45pm on Tuesday. They held the two at knifepoint and had several phone conversations with someone in which the name “Chandan” was repeatedly used. The couple told police that on the directions of the person on call, the armed men went about looting cash and jewellery kept in the house.

In all, they fled with ₹25 lakh in cash and diamond and gold jewellery worth about ₹1.5-2 crore.

The police registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 310(2) (five or more persons conjointly commit or attempt to commit a robbery) at Kavi Nagar police station.

Four teams were formed to investigate the case.

“The entire heist was planned by Chandan who was aware of the places where cash and jewellery were kept. He was staying with the family for the past two years and got the position through a person known to Gupta. So, no police verification procedure was taken up. Chandan also knew that there were eight CCTV cameras in the house and these were lying dysfunctional since September when the family got a paint job done,” said Rajesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (city).

The DCP said Chandan wanted to make some quick money to get his sister married and had his eye on the valuables. He got his opportunity when Gupta’s son, along with other family members, planned to go to Goa for a vacation on January 4.

The police said Chandan told his friend Om Prakash, who is also a domestic help, about his plan.

“They roped in the fourth suspect and also Chandan’s brother-in-law, Sunil Kumar, from Bihar. On Tuesday evening, Om Prakash and Sunil Kumar entered Gupta’s house in the evening and stayed put in Chandan’s quarters at the rear of the house. Around 8.45pm, they went inside and overpowered the aged couple. Chandan remained in the rear of the house, and gave directions to the two suspects on phone. The fourth suspect waited outside the house,” DCP Kumar said.

Police said that the entire heist took about half an hour to execute, and all four fled after tying up Vishnu, the guard posted at the main gate.

Police said since this was the first crime that the three executed, they used mobile phones during the robbery, and also vital clues at the scene, which led the police to them.

The three were arrested from Kavi Nagar industrial area while they were trying to flee to Bihar, police said.

The police recovered about ₹10.5 lakh in cash and 17 different diamond and gold jewellery items from their possession. Senior officers said they expect to recover all stolen items once the fourth suspect is arrested.