Working as driver for an east Delhi-based businessman since the past eight years, 29-year-old Ramu Poddar thought no one would suspect him for stealing ₹14 lakh from his employer.
He allegedly staged a robbery on April 1, complete with self-inflicted injuries to make his story more believable, but was caught on Tuesday, the police said on Wednesday.
PCR call
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad said Mr. Poddar, a resident of Bihar’s Bhagalpur, was arrested for allegedly staging the robbery in Vivek Vihar.
The police received a call on April 1 regarding a quarrel at Kasturba Nagar underpass and found the ‘injured’ driver at the spot.
He claimed that four persons on a bike had attacked with him knives on the throat and left arm, and fled with the bag containing ₹14 lakh. He said his employer Satya Narayan Bhutani had asked him to collect the cash from New Friends Colony and deliver it to his residence in Vishwas Nagar.
“The driver claimed that he took the service lane before crossing the underpass as he was not wearing a helmet. He alleged that two persons on a motorcycle started arguing with him for driving on the wrong side and that two more men joined the duo and attacked him before fleeing with the bag,” said Ms. Prasad, adding that a robbery case was registered based on his complaint.
Medical examination
The police first become suspicious after the driver’s medical examination raised the possibility of the injuries being self-inflicted. When Ms. Prasad raised the issue with the Bhutani family, they told her, “We trust him a lot. He has been with us for eight years, and has been collecting and delivering money for a long time”.
However, examination of the CCTV camera footage revealed that it took Mr. Poddar about 45 minutes to exit the underpass instead of the usual five minutes.
“The scene was recreated by some officers but the time difference was too much,” said Ms. Prasad.
When the police confronted the driver with facts during interrogation, he allegedly confessed to having staged the robbery.
“He claimed he needed the money and thought no one would suspect him as he had been with the family for very long,” Ms. Prasad added.
Loot recovered
The accused allegedly kept the stolen booty inside another house owned by his employer as he had the keys for that house.
He was going to move the money after the dust settled, the police said, adding that they have recovered the entire amount.
