Ghaziabad: Online cigarette purchase leads to arrest of duo behind ₹2.33 lakh theft at fuel station

The theft occurred when the accountant and other staff members were absent, attending to a task at a nearby bank

Police arrested a man and his friend on Friday for allegedly stealing ₹2.33 lakh in cash from a fuel station in Crossings Republik on Monday, where he was working as a supervisor, police said on Friday, adding that one of the suspects, was traced after he made an online payment while purchasing a cigarette.

The theft occurred when the accountant and other staff members were absent, attending to a task at a nearby bank. (Representative Image)

The two suspects, both residents of Garhmukteshwar in Hapur were identified as Vishal Sharma, 30, and his friend Mohammad Zaid, 28, police said.

According to police, the owner of the fuel station, Prateek Garg filed a complaint at the Crossings Republik police station, saying that an unidentified man wearing a face mask went straight to the office where he pulled out ₹2.33 lakhs from the safe and fled the spot. The theft occurred when the accountant and other staff members were absent, attending to a task at a nearby bank.

Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR under Section 380 (theft) under the Indian Penal Code.

Saloni Agarwal, ACP (Wave City), said, “ During the investigation, our teams scanned the CCTV footage from the fuel station and the nearby areas and spotted an unidentified man wearing a face mask and leaving the station after the theft. Our investigation led us to the cigarette shop, where we were able to ascertain the identity of the suspect, Zaid. His mobile’s location history indicated recent activity in the area, including a prior visit for reconnaissance.”

The police said that Sharma was in the know of the regular incoming of cash at the fuel station and allegedly planned theft with Zaid about a week ago.

“His identity was established through an online wallet. He was traced and picked up for questioning. He revealed that the plan for theft was hatched by Sharma who has been working as a supervisor at the fuel station for the past two months. Sharma, as part of the plan, had left the keys to the office in the door lock, which gave Zaid a free pass to enter the office without any difficulty. Both have been arrested,” ACP added.