Man held in connection with dacoity-murder case in Delhi's Ashok Vihar area

New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) A 33-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly providing arms and ammunition in a dacoity and murder case in Delhi's Ashok Vihar area, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Manoj alias Rocky, was apprehended from Ghaziabad on May 15, he said.

Manoj had been evading arrest since his name surfaced during the probe into the daylight robbery and murder of a man who was carrying Rs 16.5 lakh in cash.

"Manoj had supplied arms and ammunition to his associate, Faiyaz alias Alan, who was directly involved in the February 25 incident. The victim had been shot in the chest with a pistol and later declared dead at the hospital," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Harsh Indora said.

Soon after the incident, Manoj went underground, frequently changing locations and using a SIM card registered in someone else's name to evade surveillance. His last known address was in Ghaziabad, though his permanent address is in Hapur district, the officer added.

Based on local intelligence and technical surveillance, police located Manoj in Ghaziabad and arrested him.

"During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he had provided arms and ammunition to Faiyaz, who carried out the fatal attack. He has been arrested under relevant sections of the BNS," Indora said.

Manoj is also facing trial in a previous case of robbery and murder registered at Dwarka North police station. In that case, he was released on bail in 2022 and was facing trial.

He is also previously involved in a 2016 case of attempted theft and hurt registered at the same police station, the DCP added.

Police said Manoj studied up to the ninth class and hails from a poor family. He became involved in criminal activities after associating with criminals like Nagender, Babbar, Rohit, Janak and Faiyaz while residing in Vipin Garden and Sector 16, Dwarka.

Two of his associates in the 2017 case - Nagender and Rohit - have been declared proclaimed offenders, the official said. PTI SSJ RT RT