Wanted gangster and man behind Gurgaon multi-crore heist arrested

“We had received a specific input that Lagarpuria was on his way from Delhi to his village in Jhajjar to see his ailing parents. A team of STF officials began inspecting vehicles at Delhi-Gurgaon border and 2-3 persons were detained. He was travelling in a cab and was detained from the toll. He was evasive and, in initial interrogation, identified himself as Deepak from Hisar. He then claimed to be from Panipat. After sustained interrogation and verification of two hours, his identity was confirmed,” said Balan.

On whether the gangster had come from Dubai where he is suspected to have been hiding for some time, Balan, said, “It is a part of investigation. We have arrested him from Delhi-Gurgaon border. We will question him on these aspects.”

Police said Lagarpuria has admitted his involvement in planning and executing the heist. “He claims he got over Rs 20.5 crore cash as his share, which he invested in property and spent some on his expenses and court cases. So far, he has endorsed the theory which had come out during the police probe on how the theft was planned and executed. We will take him on remand and question him on these specific aspects as to who all were involved and how the money was transferred and to whom,” said Balan.

STF officials said that during questioning, the gangster appeared confident, claiming to investigators that the “stolen money was black (do number ka paisa thaa)”. “He is fond of a lavish lifestyle and was wearing designer clothes and shoes when he was taken into custody,” said an officer. He was produced in a district court and sent to 10-day police remand.

The case, which was reported as a routine burglary, later unravelled to become a large conspiracy and a meticulously planned heist involving a gangster, his henchmen, doctors, employees of a society managing a project, a Delhi Police ASI and a Haryana police IPS officer.

On the source of money and allegations of unaccounted money, Balan said, “The Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate are probing the source and these allegations. We are working on arresting the accused and recovering stolen money.”

In 2020, the Delhi Police Special Cell had issued a lookout notice against the gangster. This year, the Haryana STF had said an FIR was lodged against him after they came to know that he had travelled abroad using a fake passport. Later, Indian authorities had requested Interpol to issue a red corner notice against Lagarpuria.

One of the most wanted gangsters in Delhi and Haryana, Lagarpuria had a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for information leading to his arrest. He has 24 criminal cases against him. The STF said it is currently probing three cases against him — the multi-crore theft, a case for forging a passport in Panipat and a case in which he jumped parole in Gurgaon.