Three held for robbing, killing businessman in Noida

During the investigation, police discovered that the stolen bag from the victim contained ₹3.10 lakh

Three suspects have been arrested by police on Saturday for allegedly robbing and killing a 28-year-old businessman, Rachit Chauhan, a resident of Rajat Vihar society in Sector 62, Noida, on April 21.

The suspects in custody. (Sunil Ghosh/ HT Photo)

According to Harish Chander, deputy commissioner of police in Noida, the incident took place when two bike-borne robbers stopped Chauhan near an ice-cream shop in Sector 56 while he was on his way home from his shop in Khoda village in Ghaziabad.“When the victim resisted their attempts to steal his bag, one of the robbers shot him, while the other grabbed the cash-filled bag and both led the scene on the bike,” he said.

During the investigation, police discovered that the stolen bag contained ₹3.10 lakh. The suspects had split the amount equally among themselves. The police have recovered ₹2.16 lakh, a bike used in the crime, and a scooty purchased with the stolen money. Additionally, the weapon used in the shooting, a pistol, was also seized by the police. It was purchased from Sherni alias Shakeel, a resident of Delhi, for ₹40,000 last month.

Following the incident, police formed teams to investigate the case. After examining footage from 115 CCTV cameras from Khoda to Rajat Vihar, the suspects were identified as Sahil alias Sehwaz ,24, Bijji Kumar alias Vijay alias Brijesh 37, and Divyanshu Bhandari alias Aadi 37.

Bijji, a sharpshooter, is a resident of Haryana and has previously been arrested in a murder case by Delhi Police in 2022. He was out on bail at the time of the incident. Divyanshu, an engineering graduate, has been involved in several illegal activities, including the supply of women for prostitution. Sahil was the one who confessed his involvement in the crime during interrogation and revealed the names of the other two suspects.

According to Shakti Avasthy, additional DCP of Noida, one of the suspects Sehwaz, learned of Chauhan’s routine of carrying cash in his bag and started following him from the first week of April. He then recruited Divyanshu and Bijji for the crime.

“The suspects had planned to rob the victim on April 19, but it failed due to the victim driving his bike at a high speed, and police were checking the road. The plan was postponed to the next day, but the shooter, Bijji, was ill. Therefore, the crime was executed on April 21,” ADCP Avasthy said.

The suspects had only planned to rob Chauhan in Khoda, but the victim took a different route home due to construction work on the way. The suspects followed him and robbed him when he stopped for ice-cream. However, since the victim resisted, they shot him and escaped with the cash.

The suspects were charged under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 302 (murder) and 394 (causing hurt during robbery) and relevant sections of the Arms Act. After being produced in court on Saturday, they were sent to judicial custody, police said.