Collection agent shot dead, Rs 1 lakh robbed; one nabbed

A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly shooting dead a 29-year-old collection agent of a footwear factory and then robbing his cash bag in north Delhi’s Pratap

A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly shooting dead a 29-year-old collection agent of a footwear factory and then robbing his cash bag in north Delhi’s Pratap Nagar near Gulabi Bagh on Friday afternoon, the police said.

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The arrested suspect’s three accomplices from Uttar Pradesh, who were with him during the crime, are still absconding. The suspects had targeted the collection agent hoping that his bag would contain Rs 35-40 lakh. They shot him in his chest after waylaying him on the road and fled with the cash bag. They later found that the bag only contained R1 lakh, said deputy commissioner of police (north) Anto Alphonse.

One motorcycle used in the crime and R23,500 of the looted money has been recovered from the arrested man, identified as Harish Kumar, a resident of Delhi’s Ghonda, police said. Kumar worked as a commission agent for readymade garments wholesalers in Chandni Chowk.

DCP Alphonse said that on December 11 (Friday) around 2.30 pm, the police were informed about a man having been shot in Pratap Nagar. A police team reached the spot and rushed the injured man to a nearby hospital, where he was declared brought dead. The dead man was identified as Vikas Garg, a Narela resident, who worked as a collection agent for a footwear factory in Mangolpuri. A murder case was registered and investigations taken up.

During the probe, the DCP said, it was learnt that Garg was carrying a bag containing R1 lakh at the time of his murder but the bag was missing. The investigating team scanned the footage of CCTV cameras installed around the crime scene. The police also found a witness who told them that while driving he had seen four men snatching a bag from the victim and then firing at him.

“The witness gave us some details about a bike, that the suspects had used in the crime. The owner of the bike was traced and it was found to be registered in a woman’s name. We questioned the owner and her husband. They said the bike was being used by her brother-in-law Harish Kumar. We interrogated Kumar and he confessed to the crime. We then arrested him,” said DCP Alphonse.

During the interrogation, the DCP said, Kumar disclosed that while working as a commission agent, he had noticed Garg coming to the Chandni Chowk market for collection often. Kumar assumed that Garg carried huge sums of money in his bag. So, he planned to rob Garg and roped in three men from Uttar Pradesh to execute the robbery.

“They tracked Garg’s movements for a few days. On Friday, they executed the plan anticipating that they will get nearly Rs 40 lakh in cash. When Garg resisted their robbery attempt, they shot him and fled with the bag, which contained only Rs 1 lakh,” the DCP said, adding that raids were on to nab the absconding suspects.