Five arrested for Narela cash van robbery, murders

One of the accused sustained injuries in early morning shoot-out on Wednesday

The accused in the Narela case in police custody on Wednesday.

Five persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the April 26 double murder-cum-cash van robbery in Narela, the police said on Wednesday.

One of the five accused sustained injuries in an early morning shoot-out on Wednesday, they said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said the accused have been identified as Bharat Bhushan alias Tony, Deepak alias Mantra, Gurcharan, Vikas, and Mahabir. With their arrest, the police claimed to have solved 10 criminal cases.

Three robbers had decamped with ₹12 lakh after fatally shooting cash van security guard Prem Kumar and custodian Rajnikant Singh near a mall in the crowded Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) area of Narela around 2.30 p.m. on April 26.

Received tip-off

The district police recently roped in the Special Cell and Crime Branch to solve the case. They received a tip-off regarding the accused on Tuesday. They were informed that three persons involved in the incident were on the way back to the city from Haridwar.

“A trap was laid, and Mahabir, Deepak and Gurcharan were apprehended near Rohini Sector 26,” said Mr. Yadav.

During interrogation, Deepak allegedly told the police about the involvement of Tony and Vikas and one Jitu, who is still at large, in the incident. Raids were conducted based on information provided by Deepak and Vikas was nabbed from his Narela residence.

Meanwhile, the police received another tip-off regarding Tony’s arrival near Khair village canal around 5 a.m.

“Tony was spotted around 5.30 a.m. His car was flagged down but he did not stop. The police shot at the vehicle’s tyres to deflate them. Tony stepped out of the car and fired at the police,” said Mr. Yadav.

“A shoot-out ensued and Tony was shot in the legs. He was rushed to a hospital,” Mr. Yadav said.

The police said the accused would conduct a reconnaissance of the area before executing their plan and have allegedly committed several armed robberies.

The police claimed to have recovered three pistols, a countrymade pistol, a spare magazine with five live cartridges, a car and ₹8.2 lakh from the accused.