Fake Officials Steal Over 1 Kg Gold in Daring Karol Bagh Heist
In a shocking incident reminiscent of a Bollywood plot, five men were arrested for orchestrating a sophisticated fake police and Income Tax raid to steal more than one kilogram of gold from a jewellery workshop in Delhi's bustling Karol Bagh area. The Delhi Police, who cracked the case after an extensive multi-state manhunt, revealed the arrests on Saturday.
The Elaborate Sting Operation Unfolds
The audacious crime was executed on November 27. According to police, the gang arrived at the target location in three cars. One of the accused, Shaminder, was dressed in a counterfeit Delhi Police sub-inspector's uniform. Four others, including Lavpreet, posed as officers from the Income Tax department.
Once inside the jewellery workshop, the imposters immediately seized the mobile phones of the owner and workers present. They then conducted a thorough but completely sham "search" of the premises. To cover their tracks and erase digital evidence, they removed the CCTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR) before fleeing with 1 kilogram and 1 gram of gold.
Multi-City Manhunt Leads to Breakthrough
Unfazed by the lack of CCTV footage from the scene, a dedicated police team embarked on a challenging investigation. DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan stated that investigators scanned footage from more than 250 CCTV cameras across a wide area. Their pursuit of leads took them across Delhi and into several Haryana cities, including Bahadurgarh, Rohtak, Sonipat, Panipat, Jhajjar, Hisar, and Jind.
The breakthrough came when the police traced one of the accused, Sandeep, to Bahadurgarh. His subsequent interrogation proved crucial, leading investigators to his four associates. The police then arrested Parvinder, Rakesh, Shaminder, and Lavpreet from different locations in Haryana and Delhi.
Mastermind, Roles, and Recoveries
Police disclosed the specific roles each accused played in planning and executing the heist. Parvinder, who is a government employee, is alleged to have been the mastermind behind the raid. Sandeep was responsible for organising the team. As mentioned, Shaminder impersonated the police officer, while Lavpreet acted as the Income Tax official. Rakesh's role involved procuring the fake police lanyards and helping coordinate the vehicles used in the crime.
So far, the police have successfully recovered 435 grams of the stolen gold. Additionally, they have seized Rs 3.97 lakh in cash, the three vehicles used in the crime, and five fake police ID holders and lanyards. During the investigation, it was revealed that Sandeep had already sold 428 grams of the gold to repay his personal debts.
The investigation remains active as three other suspects are still at large. Among them is Akram, who allegedly provided the gang with critical inside information about the gold workshop, making the targeted heist possible.
