New Delhi, February 27 Delhi Police have arrested five people, including three women, for allegedly robbing Rs 15 lakh in cash and 22 iPhones from a resident of Jammu in north Delhi's Majnu ka Tila area, after a week-long search in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, an official said on Friday.
The police claimed that the accused were apprehended after strenuous treks through dense forests and hilly terrain, culminating in the recovery of the entire amount of looted cash and all 22 iPhones, worth Rs 30 lakh.
"The case was registered at the Timarpur police station on February 17. The complainant, Ramesh Lal (39), works at a mobile shop in Jammu. On the night of February 16-17, he boarded a private bus from Jammu to Delhi to trade goods," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Raja Banthia said in a statement.
He said he was carrying Rs 15 lakh in cash and 22 packed Apple iPhones worth Rs 30 lakh in a bag. He was also carrying a smaller bag containing his personal mobile phone.
"On February 17 at around 7.15 am, Lal got off the bus at Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi. Three unknown men and three women who had travelled on the same bus also got off. As he was getting into an auto-rickshaw, the six surrounded him and began making false allegations of molestation and assault," the DCP said.
In the commotion, the male accused fled with his bag containing the cash and 22 iPhones. However, with the help of bystanders, the three women assailants were apprehended on the spot and brought to the Timarpur police station. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras in the area, the police said.
The women were identified as Hashu Bibi (23), Juna Begum (31), and Maneeva Akhtar (24), all residents of Jammu. During interrogation, they revealed that six people were involved in the crime, and that one, Parvez, a resident of Jammu, was the mastermind. They also revealed that the three male accused had returned to Jammu as per the plan.
"A joint team was constituted and three separate teams were dispatched to Jammu to apprehend the absconding accused. Several raids were conducted at their houses and hideouts, but they were found to be missing. Technical surveillance was mounted, and after analyzing call detail records, their movements were tracked," the statement added.
On February 20, the location of accused Mohammad Faroog (28) was traced to Chandigarh. A team rushed there and apprehended him while he was going to meet an advocate to seek anticipatory bail, as he was aware that the police were tracking him.
He disclosed that Parvez had taken away the looted property. Another team tracked Tariq Hussain (33). He owns two private buses that operate between his native village and Udhampur. Traps were laid at the terminal points of the buses, but he could not be located.
"The police team then moved through remote and inaccessible areas of Udhampur for five days, navigating dense forests and hilly terrain amid the complete absence of roads in several stretches. Facing significant challenges in mobile surveillance due to the difficult terrain, the team covered around 25 km on foot in pitch darkness and stayed overnight in forest areas without any civic facilities," the DCP said.
After an eight-day search covering over 1,500 km across Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, the team apprehended Tariq from a forest area near his native village. A search of his belongings led to the recovery of Rs 2 lakh in cash.
Initially, he withheld information about the remaining property, but during interrogation, he revealed that Parvez had given him the looted property to hide.
At his instance, the remaining Rs 13 lakh in cash and 21 iPhones were recovered from a place in his house, where animals are kept. The police have boasted of 100 per cent recovery of the looted cash and mobile phones.
"Investigations revealed that Parvez had tipped off the group about the complainant carrying a large amount of cash and costly items. All six accused boarded the same bus from Jammu. As per the plan, the women created a scene by raising allegations of molestation after alighting in Delhi, enabling the men to flee with the bag. They then returned to Jammu with the loot," DCP Banthia said.
Raids are underway to apprehend Parvez, who remains at large.
Maneeva is reportedly the most literate of the group and allegedly lured the other two women with the promise of easy money. Juna and Hashu are illiterate. Tariq has studied up to Class 10, while Faroog is a graduate and is aspiring to take the SSC exam, and is also Parvez's nephew.