Delhi Police cracks Karol Bagh heist; Rs 13.5 lakh recovered via facial recognition system

New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) Delhi Police has cracked a theft of Rs 42.39 lakh reported from a mobile wholesale shop in Karol Bagh with the arrest of an employee, an official said on Tuesday.

The police said that he allegedly tipped off his associates about the money. The case was solved with the help of the facial recognition system (FRS), he added.

According to the police, an e-FIR was lodged after the complainant reported that more than Rs 42 lakh had been stolen from his shop located on the third floor. He had closed the shop on November 4, and the next morning his staff allegedly found the rear window broken and the cash missing.

"A police team examined the CCTV footage and found that four men had entered the shop around 2.15 am on November 5 and left about 35 minutes later. Their movement was traced. Further analysis showed that the suspects had earlier travelled in an e-rickshaw and were last seen alighting near Om Bhature," said the police officer.

The employees of the shop were also questioned, and their call detail records were analysed. A senior officer said the FRS, along with the facial-matching tools, played a crucial role in narrowing down the suspects. The FRS generated facial hints matching individuals captured in the CCTV footage. Technical data further indicated regular communication between an employee and suspected offenders.

"The team identified the accused as Rishabh, Avinash, Abhishek and Anil. Their local contact, Suraj, who worked as an employee at the shop, was also linked to them through phone records," said the officer.

Two police teams were formed, following which Suraj was arrested from Mukundpur and more than Rs 13 lakh, part of the stolen cash, was recovered from him. Raids were also conducted in Shahjahanpur, but the remaining accused were found absconding.

During interrogation, Suraj confessed that he provided information about the cash stored in the shop and helped plan the theft. He said he acted out of greed and shared details with his associates, who carried out the break-in. Search operations are underway in Delhi and neighbouring states to arrest the remaining suspects, the police added. PTI BM BM MNK MNK