Robbers flee with Rs 24 lakh in bags

A tour-and-travel agency owner was robbed of two bags containing Rs 24 lakh by robbers who were in a Hyundai Accent car in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri on Wednesday morning

A tour-and-travel agency owner was robbed of two bags containing Rs 24 lakh by robbers who were in a Hyundai Accent car in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri on Wednesday morning.

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The incident took place around 9.30am outside victim Ashwani Chopra’s house in H block in Vikaspuri.

According to police, the assailants threw chilli powder on the face of Chopra’s driver, Dharmendra, and fired two bullets in the air before disappearing from the spot with the robbed money.

The police have registered a case of robbery and are looking for the assailants who are suspected to be the members of the infamous "Mirchi" gang.

Chopra was leaving for his office in Malviya Nagar when the assailants appeared outside his house and robbed him of two bags containing Rs 24 lakh in cash.

"The robbers first threw chilli powder on Dharmendra’s face and to scare Chopra, they fired a bullet on the back of his Hyundai i-10 car. Initially, Chopra resisted their robbery attempt, but later handed over his bags to the robbers when they threatened him with dire consequences," a senior police officer said, adding the matter was reported to them through a call made to the police control room.

"Prima facie, it looks that someone close to the Chopra family could have given a tip-off to the assailants about the money. We are suspecting the involvement of an insider and are questioning some people in the case," the officer added.