Delhi: Posing as cops, gang makes off with jewellery worth Rs two crore

The first incident took place on January 3. A man working at a jewellery shop was stopped by three persons who said they were policemen.

The thefts took place around Bank Street and Beadonpura area in Karol Bagh. Archive

A GANG posing as police personnel allegedly made off with jewellery and valuables worth Rs 2 crore from central Delhi’s Karol Bagh in the last two months.

According to police, the gang would stop employees of jewellery stores as part of the Delhi Police’s demonetisation drive, and ask them to show their original bills. While one person examined the bills, the other two would pretend to examine the valuables and make off with them. In this way, the gang has committed as many as eight thefts in the area. Police have registered seven cases so far. Deputy Commissioner of Police (central district) Mandeep Singh Randhawa has confirmed the incidents. “After registering FIRs in all the cases, we have identified the gang and will arrest them soon,” he said.

Sources said police investigation has revealed that the thefts took place around Bank Street — famous for a lot of shops selling bridal jewellery — and in Beadonpura area, which has shops that make designs on gold jewellery.

Story continues below this ad

“During investigation, it came to fore that the gang members stopped employees on the pretext of checking their bags. While one of them asked for a genuine bill, the others would examine the contents of the bag. Within minutes, the three would decamp with the valuables on their motorbike,” the sources added.

The first incident took place on January 3. A man working at a jewellery shop was stopped by three persons who said they were policemen.

“Two of them started to check his bag while the other questioned him. Within minutes, the accused fled the spot on their bike along with jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh. The man filed an FIR and a case was registered,” a senior police officer said.

Though DCP Randhawa claimed to have identified the gang, sources said several teams of Central district, working round the clock, are yet to identify the men.

Story continues below this ad

“Recently, we found CCTV footage from one of the crime spots, but only their motorbike could be seen,” police sources said.

Sources said investigators also tried to collect data from mobile towers at the spot but found that the gang did not use their phones anywhere in the vicinity. “Investigators now believe that someone from the police department is behind the thefts. They have started scanning profiles of those police personnel who were arrested recently,” police sources added.

Mahender Singh Manral

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram