Accountant, tutor, Rapido rider: How 6 men pulled off Rs 1.5-crore heist

When the auto-rickshaw neared the Geeta Colony Flyover on the Outer Ring Road, the men on the bike allegedly displayed pistol-like objects — one of which was later found to be a lighter — and positioned themselves on either side of the two passengers before taking one of the cash bags. They then fled towards ITO, police said.

Five members of the group have since been arrested, while the sixth is on the run, police said.

Police said Rinku, 27, was the alleged mastermind. A BCom graduate, he had worked as an accountant in Karol Bagh and was familiar with the area from where substantial cash movement took place. He allegedly tasked other members of the group with conducting reconnaissance in and around Chandni Chowk and tracking people suspected of carrying large amounts of cash.

How police pieced together the robbery

According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) Madhur Verma, the robbery was allegedly preceded by detailed reconnaissance of cash movement from Chandni Chowk. “The breakthrough came after investigators spent four days analysing CCTV footage, matching the movements of the victims and suspects, and developing technical and field intelligence,” said Verma.

The investigation indicated that the robbery was not a spur-of-the-moment crime. Police said the accused identified the cash agent and his colleague near the T-Point at Old Delhi Railway Station and tailed them after they boarded the TSR. The plan was to allegedly intercept them at a relatively secluded location and escape immediately after the robbery.

Arrests and the alleged roles

Police said the first major breakthrough came with the arrest of Suraj Pandey from Anand Vihar Bus Terminal on September 12, when he was attempting to flee to a remote location in Uttar Pradesh. During questioning, he allegedly disclosed details about the conspiracy and the roles of other members.

The next day, police caught two more men, Adarsh Tiwari and Deepak Goswami, from Nawada. Rs 32.5 lakh in cash and a new motorcycle allegedly purchased with the proceeds of the robbery were recovered.

The fourth accused, Sandeep, was arrested from Faridabad the same day with Rs 11 lakh allegedly recovered from him.

Rinku, the alleged mastermind, was arrested from Ludhiana in Punjab. Rs 37.5 lakh in cash was recovered from him, police said.

Police said Sandeep was riding the motorcycle during the robbery, with Suraj seated in the middle and Deepak on the pillion.

Deepak allegedly displayed what appeared to be a pistol before the cash bag was taken. Investigators later found that the object was a pistol-shaped lighter, which was recovered during the investigation. Suraj allegedly had Rs 17 lakh in cash and an Apple iPhone purchased with the proceeds of the robbery.

After the robbery, the accused allegedly regrouped at a rented room in Nawada, where the money was distributed. Police said Prince, who remains absconding, had allegedly arranged resources for the operation, including the motorcycle and the weapon-like objects.

According to police, the five accused had varied backgrounds:

-Rinku, a B.Com graduate, had worked as an accountant in Karol Bagh

-Adarsh, who holds B.Com and B.Ed degrees, had run a tuition centre

-Deepak had worked at a mobile shop and in a private company,

-Suraj was a Rapido rider who also worked for a private company.

-Sandeep worked as a Blinkit/Zepto rider.

Rs 1 crore recovered

In total, police said approximately Rs 1 crore of the robbed cash has been recovered. The other recoveries include the clothes and shoes allegedly worn during the offence, a motorcycle purchased for around Rs 2.10 lakh, a mobile phone purchased with the proceeds of the robbery and the pistol-shaped toy/lighter.

Police said the group had allegedly attempted to execute the plan on earlier occasions but was unsuccessful.

DCP Central Rohit Rajbir Singh said the investigation focused on reconstructing the movement of the victims and suspects before and after the robbery and identifying the different roles in the alleged conspiracy.

Police said further investigation is underway to apprehend Prince, trace the remaining robbed cash, and identify any other persons who may have facilitated or benefited from the offence.