Cash, valuables robbed from elderly couple in fake ED raid in Delhi, house help among 2 held

New Delhi, Feb 26 (PTI) An elderly couple was robbed of around Rs 4 lakh and some valuables when three men allegedly posing as officials conducted an "ED raid" at their residence in southeast Delhi's New Friends Colony, police said on Thursday.

During the investigation, the victim's domestic help was identified as the mastermind behind the plan with her four relatives, which included an ITBP constable and a former army personnel, as co-accused, they said.

The incident occurred on February 11, around 10 am, when three men dressed in police-style uniforms entered the house of RC Sabharwal (86), a retired senior architect and his wife, Usha Sabharwal.

The three men claimed to be authorised by the ED to conduct a search, police said.

"The moment the accused entered their house, they asked the elderly couple to keep their mobile phones, jewellery, cash and valuables on a table," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Aishwarya Sharma said in a statement.

She further told reporters that they (accused) refused to show any warrant or authorisation letter and allegedly snatched the family members' mobile phones, switched them off and prevented them from contacting anyone.

Intimidated by threats of arrest, the complainant placed a bag containing around Rs 10-12 lakh, stated to be legitimate business income, on the dining table.

"The impostors photographed the cash and reiterated threats of legal action. The situation shifted when Usha managed to alert her grandson, a senior lawyer," the officer said.

Sensing trouble, the accused fled the spot, allegedly taking away around Rs 3 to 4 lakh in cash, and seven luxury watches, the officer added.

"A complaint was subsequently lodged at New Friends Colony police station and an FIR was registered under sections 318(4) (cheating), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 329(4) (criminal trespass), 127(3) (wrongful confinement) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and an investigation was taken up immediately," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said.

Out of the five accused, two have been arrested on Wednesday and were identified as Rekha Devi (40), the domestic help and Pooja Rajput (45), police said.

The absconding accused are Pooja's husband, Prakash, who is an ITBP constable, her son, Manish, and Updesh Singh Thapa alias Pintu, a retired army personnel, police said.

The officer said the team relied heavily on digital surveillance to crack what they described as a carefully planned insider conspiracy.

As part of the probe, investigators analysed footage from more than 350 CCTV cameras, including private cameras installed in the D-Block residential area, Delhi Police surveillance cameras and high-speed traffic cameras along key routes.

"Police mapped the movement of the suspects' vehicle from the crime scene. The trail led through the Sarai Kale Khan area, crossed the Ghazipur border and entered Uttar Pradesh before culminating at Sector 4 in Vaishali in Ghaziabad, where the car was seen parked," the DCP said.

The vehicle was later found registered in the name of Thapa, police said.

"After locating the vehicle in Ghaziabad, the team used technical surveillance, including mobile tower dump data and IMEI tracking, to identify mobile numbers that were active both at the New Friends Colony crime scene and at the Vaishali parking location during the relevant time frame," the DCP said.

The data analysis pointed towards the residence of Pooja in Vaishali. Further local intelligence inputs revealed that Devi was a frequent visitor to that address.

"Through technical surveillance, Devi emerged as the key conspirator and her involvement confirmed that the crime was an insider job," the DCP said.

She was apprehended and during interrogation, the accused admitted to planning the fake raid after observing that the complainant was elderly and often alone at home.

They believed that impersonating officials of a central agency would ensure compliance and minimise resistance from the family.

During a search of Pooja's residence in Vaishali, a deputy commandant uniform of the ITBP, its ID card, and a wireless device allegedly used to mimic official police communication were recovered," police said.

In addition, the team also seized seven luxury watches, jewellery allegedly stolen from the complainant's house, and a pistol whose licence had expired in 2019, they added.

"Raids are being conducted at multiple locations to trace and arrest the remaining accused. Efforts are also underway to recover the remaining stolen cash and any other case property," the officer said.

Further investigation is underway to establish the exact roles of each accused, verify the source of the uniform and identity card, and determine whether the accused were involved in any similar incidents in the past, the officer added. PTI BM APL APL