3 including domestic help held for 'stealing' jewellery, cash worth over Rs 2.5 Cr in Delhi

New Delhi: Three people, including a domestic help, have been apprehended from Bihar for allegedly stealing jewellery worth over Rs 2.25 crore and more than Rs 55 lakh in cash from a house in northwest Delhi's Model Town area, a senior police officer said on Tuesday.

A complaint was received at the Model Town police station on June 27 from Anita Jhunjhunwala, who alleged that her domestic help, Arun Kumar, had fled with Rs 55 lakh in cash and jewellery, including gold, diamond and silver items, the officer said.

A case under sections 306 (theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master), 317(2) (stolen property) and 3(5) (joint liability) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered, he added.

CCTV footage collected from the complainant's residence showed Kumar, accompanied by another unidentified person, leaving the house with a bag and a trolley.

"After tracing digital footprints and conducting fieldwork in Bihar's Banka, police apprehended three accused -- Vivek Kumar (22), Birender Yadav (22) and Piyush Kumar Kapri (29) -- from a forest near Budhighat village on July 10. They were allegedly in the process of distributing the stolen property among themselves at the time of the raid," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said.

During interrogation, the trio confessed to the crime and revealed that Kumar had plotted the theft with five associates from his native village.

"Arun Kumar, in connivance with five others -- Birendra, Krishna, Ajay Yadav, Mahesh Tanti (all from his native village) and Vivek -- executed a well-planned theft of cash and jewellery from the complainant's residence," the DCP said.

While escaping, Birendra handed over the stolen cash and jewellery to his friend Dilip Yadav at Bonsi, who retained Rs 17.5 lakh. "Dilip subsequently gave Rs 5 lakh to Rajesh, the elder brother of Krishna, and passed the remaining amount and jewellery to Malti Yadav in Sathiyari village," the DCP added.

Malti Yadav handed over the money to Kishtu Yadav in Barasan village, who further transferred it to Pawan Yadav. Pawan Yadav transported the stolen items to Sandeep Yadav in Radha Nagar village, where both kept a portion for themselves. Later, Naveen Yadav also took Rs 5 lakh from the same.

The accused were all first-time offenders and told police that they were lured by the prospect of quick money to fund a lavish lifestyle.

The recovered items include gold and diamond ornaments -- necklaces, rings, bangles -- along with more than 40 silver utensils and articles, a gold biscuit, a silver sheet and other valuables.

Police said further raids are underway to trace Kumar's remaining accomplices and recover the rest of the stolen property. Financial transactions and bank accounts of the suspects are also being scrutinised to check for possible links to other criminal activities.