Friends and company at work
One man's anger at a society that refused to give him another chance at life — not to mention his fetish of showcasing his dancing talent on reality television — and another's disgruntlement with his ex-employers were reasons enough for them to become part of one of the biggest armed robberies the Capital has ever witnessed.
One man's anger at a society that refused to give him another chance at life — not to mention his fetish of showcasing his dancing talent on reality television — and another's disgruntlement with his ex-employers were reasons enough for them to become part of one of the biggest armed robberies the Capital has ever witnessed.
Mukesh Saini, 31, and Umesh, 39, were neighbours at Taimur Nagar. They were arrested on Monday for providing logistical support to the brazen Defence Colony robbery last Friday.
Two others, identified as Tek Chand, 50, from Haryana's Palwal and Krishan Kumar, 39, from Gurgaon, were also arrested for aiding and abetting the operation, said Vivek Gogia, joint commissioner of police (southwest range).
"Deepak Sharma, the main accused — who was caught on Sunday — disclosed that someone had been sharing specific information about the description, movement and location of the cash van over the phone."
Soon the police identified Mukesh, who had been an associate of one of the main accused and Umesh, an ex-employee of the targeted financial firm and a friend of Mukesh, through technical surveillance.
After being nabbed from his relative's residence in east Delhi's Mandawali, Mukesh led the police to his share of the loot: Rs. 1.35 lakh.
"During interrogation, Mukesh revealed that he had been jailed for over two years for his involvement in a cheating case at Kalyanpuri. It was while serving his sentence that he met one of the main accused, Vijay Nahar," said Gogia.
After his release a year-and-a-half ago, he maintained his connection with Nahar.
Mukesh could not get a job due to his criminal record. Known as Jackson among his friends given his fetish of Michael Jackson T-shirts, jackets and break-dancing, Mukesh was desperate to make a quick buck.
"Umesh, being an ex-employee of the vault management company, had experience with counting the bundles stashed in chests and later transferring them to the transporting van for delivery to various ATMs and bank branches," Gogia said.
"The duo attempted to zero-in on the van with maximum cash and minimum security. Riding a bike, they informed one of main accused after the cash van left the vault office," Gogia added.