Govindpuri’s Monkey Park killers looked for targets from top of fort

However, for fish salesman Sanjay, this is not the first time a snatching attempt has gone wrong. Police said in 2012, Sanjay had stabbed a minor boy and robbed him off his mobile phone near Monkey Park. “He was trying to find money to pay his lawyer for the previous stabbing, and decided to rob Naresh,” DCP (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said.

Moreover, Sanjay and Surender, the dance teacher, had spent two years in judicial custody for a robbery-related case in the same forested area in 2014. “We found that Surender was involved in 10 cases of theft and robbery. Sanjay has been involved in eight such cases. However, the two other accused — auto driver Pawan and clothes salesman Ram Babu — were first-timers,” Biswal said.

Police said the four accused decided to commit the snatching for a wide array of personal reasons. Surender, police said, was looking out for victims wearing gold jewellery as he wanted a present for his wife, whose birthday was on the day of the stabbing. “Two of his elder brothers had died in an accident a few years ago. His father had also died at the time. He was surviving on the money provided by his mother and wife,” a police officer said.

Sanjay, who police said is well-versed with the terrain around Monkey Park since he committed three robberies in the same area, had to leave his fish business for better pay.

Ram Babu had recently been given a hike by his employers at the showroom at Nehru Place. His salary was now Rs 10,000. However, he decided to join the snatchers so he could make more. For Pawan, who had recently lost his father, ferrying commuters around CR Park did not fetch him enough money, police said.