In a shocking case of breach of trust, a long-serving security officer in Gurgaon was arrested this week for allegedly absconding with a massive sum of Rs 50 lakh that was entrusted to him by his employer for delivery.
The Disappearance and Complaint
The incident unfolded on December 10, when Jai Pratap Singh (35), a security officer employed with the Discovery Wine Group in Sector 57, was given a critical task. His employer asked him to deliver the substantial cash amount of Rs 50 lakh to an acquaintance in Delhi using a company car.
However, Singh never reached the intended destination. His mobile phone was subsequently found to be switched off, raising immediate alarms. The concerned employer contacted the recipient in Delhi and confirmed that the money had not been delivered, prompting them to file a formal police complaint.
Based on this complaint, the Sector 56 police station registered a case on December 11 under Section 316(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to Criminal Breach of Trust by a clerk or servant.
The Investigation and Arrest
A dedicated police team from the crime branch in Sector 43, led by Inspector Narendra Kumar Sharma, took up the investigation. Using human and technical intelligence, they tracked down the accused.
On Tuesday, the police successfully arrested Jai Pratap Singh, a resident of Belhar village in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri district, from the Sector 56 area in Gurgaon.
During interrogation, Singh revealed his plan. After reaching Delhi, he switched off his phone to avoid detection. He then parked the company car, a Maruti S-Presso, at an MCD parking lot near Batra Hospital and hid the stolen cash in the vehicle's trunk.
Recovery and Motive Behind the Crime
Following the accused's disclosure, the police recovered the car with the registration number HR51CA7416 from the Delhi parking lot. Upon searching the vehicle, they found Rs 49 lakh of the stolen money still stashed in the trunk.
Investigators stated that Singh confessed to spending approximately Rs 50,000 from the stolen funds. He used this money for travel and expenses during a sightseeing trip to the pilgrimage towns of Haridwar and Rishikesh. It was in Rishikesh that he deliberately destroyed his mobile phone to further evade the police.
His alleged motive was to use the stolen capital to establish a fruit orchard in Himachal Pradesh and start a new life. Police revealed that after his trip, Singh initially went to his hometown intending to pick up his wife and children but abandoned the plan, fearing arrest there. He then returned to Gurgaon to collect the remaining cash but was apprehended by the waiting crime branch team.
Police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar stated that further interrogation is underway to determine if Singh had any accomplices in the crime. "We will interrogate him to check if anyone else helped him in the crime," Kumar said.
The case highlights a severe breach of faith by an employee who had worked with the company for a decade. The swift police action led to the recovery of most of the stolen money and the vehicle, bringing a quick conclusion to the audacious theft.
