A Heist Gone Wrong: Double Murder Case of Husband-Wife Duo by Beheading Solved Along with a Spate of Sensational Robberies; Six Inter-State Gangster-Robbers Arrested

A team of Special Cell led by Inspectors Lalit Mohan Negi, Hriday Bhushan and Chandrika Prasad has arrested six desperate criminals and solved several sensational cases of robberies and a blind double murder case. The operation started with the apprehension of one Lokesh, s/o Rajender Singh, r/o D-991/2, Gali No.12, Ashok Nagar, Delhi from near the Seemapuri underpass. The arrest of this criminal, who was involved in a sensational armed robbery of a huge amount of cash reported on 16/02/2015 in PS MadhuVihar led to further arrests of his two more associates namely Rahul @ Kamal @ Raj @ Vikas, s/o Munesh, r/o Village Sabhapur, Delhi and Shiv Kumar @ Bittu, s/o Ramanand Pal, r/o Village Baheta Hajipur, Ghaziabad, Delhi. This was followed up with arrests of two more absconding robbers namely Gulab Malik, s/o Babu Malik, r/o VikasKunj, Indirapuri, Loni, UP and Salman Malik, s/o Shaukat Ali, r/o H. No. 171, Pooja Colony, Loni (both Gulab Malik & Salman Malik o/r/o Village Sunheda, PS Khekda, District Baghpat, UP), thereby solving a spate of sensational robberies and a gruesome double murder case.

This team of the Special Cell had been working on many unsolved armed robberies committed in Delhi NCR on a sustained basis. In the continuing operation, on 03/04/2015, an input was received that one Lokesh, who is a desperate robber, was expected to meet an associate near the Seemapuri underpass in late evening hours. Accordingly, a trap was laid and Lokesh was apprehended. Accused Lokesh was put to sustained interrogation and he disclosed his involvement in two unsolved robberies and also provided inputs about many other robbers of Delhi NCR. A team was tasked to act on the inputs provided by Lokesh, and on the same day, in late evening/early morning hours, a trap was laid near Wazirabad Road, New Delhi and in another operation, one Rahul and Shiv Kumar @ Bittu, associates of Lokesh, were apprehended. Both these criminals were found carrying pistols and accordingly, two separate cases under Arms Act have been registered at PS Special Cell in this regard. The sustained and intensive interrogations of the arrested accused led to another operation on 05/04/2015 resulting in the arrests of Gulab Malik and Salman Malik, members of this criminal syndicate and active Inter-State robbers thereby taking the total number of arrests in the running operation to six desperate criminals. 

Recoveries:

1.      One 0.32 bore pistol and 03 live cartridges from accused Rahul.

2.      One 0.315 bore country made katta and 02 live cartridges from accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittu.

3.      One Service Revolver robbed from an Army Captain in a daylight house dacoity registered in PS Kankerkheda, District Meerut, UP.

4.      Daggers and Knife used in the commission of murders/robberies.

Cases Worked Out:

1.      Case FIR No. 191/2015 u/s 392/397/34 IPC & 27 Arms Act PS Madhu Vihar, New Delhi:

On 06/10/2014, an audacious crime was committed at about 1400 hrs when one Ankit Sharma along with his colleague Rajkumar, who were going on a motor cycle to deposit a sum of Rs. 18.50 Laks in cash belonging to Hero Honda dealer of Pandav Nagar with Axis Bank, IP Extn. MadhuVihar, Delhi. On their way, the victims were intercepted by two persons who pounded their motorcycle with the motorcycle of the victims near Joshi Colony, opposite Ambedkar Park. The pillion rider of the assailing motor cycle took out a pistol and tried to snatch the bag containing cash. When the victims resisted, the assailants opened fire aimed at crippling the legs of the victims and made away with the cash bag.

2.      Case FIR No. 380/2014, u/s. 392 IPC, PS Kapashera, New Delhi:

This desperate crime was committed by arrested accused Rahul and his associates Salman Malik, Gulab Malik, Mahender Singh (presently absconding), Pankaj Mann (presently absconding) and Hajari(since deceased) who, on 18/08/2014, had robbed a truck which was parked near the DC office, Kapashera which was loaded with about 12 tons of TMT iron rods after taking the driver and helper hostage on gunpoint. After travelling some distance, the culprits had deserted the hostages and made away with the booty. In this case, two end receivers of the robbed iron were later apprehended but there was no clue as to the actual culprits.

3.      FIR No. 797/13, u/ss. 395/397 IPC, PS Kankarkheda, Meerut, UP:

In this shocking incident, accused Rahul along with his associates Vipin Mavi(currently in Jail), Pintu (a cousin of Vipin Mavi; presently absconding) and Sachin had committed dacoity in broad day light in Defence Enclave under the jurisdiction of Police Station Kankerkheda, Meerut UP. Here a large number of Army Officers, mostly retired stay.  The dacoits, armed with pistols and knives, had barged into the house of the retired Army Captain Jawahar Singh and after making the entire family hostage, ransacked the house and robbed all the jewellery, cash and a licensed revolver belonging to the retired Army officer. After committing the dacoity, while these criminal were leaving the house, the brave retired Army Captain happened to return to his home from the nearby market. The assailants tried to tie him with ropes and when they met resistance, they repeatedly stabbed him and also opened fire injuring him with three bullet injuries. This sensational robbery had sent shock waves across the Western Uttar Pradesh. The son of this brave officer is serving in Indian Army as a Major.

4.      Two blind murder cases registered in Western Uttar Pradesh

Case of Husband-Wife Double Murder:

The interrogation of accused Rahul @ Kamal has led to the solving of crimes of unimaginable brutality wherein this accused along with his associates had committed murders of a husband and wife duo.  The deceased male was otherwise an associate of the arrested criminal. As mentioned at Sl. No.2, accused Rahul @ Kamal had, along with his associates, executed the loot of a TMT iron rod laden truck in the area of Kapashera, New Delhi in August 2014. For selling the robbed booty, Rahul @ Kamal had associated another criminal namely Hajari,  r/o Pilkhuwa, UP and then a resident of Ankur Vihar, Loni, who arranged a meeting of accused Rahul @ Kamal with a scrap dealer namely Kaleem @ Bhura, r/o Baghpat and his employee Subhan @ Kalu, r/o Hapur. The truck laden with robbed TMT iron rods was stationed by the criminals at the place of this scrap dealer but police got a whiff of the crime and soon, a police party reached at the warehouse of the said scrap dealer. Accused Rahul along with his associates fled the spot deserting the looted truck. Later, Rahul discussed with his associates that it was necessary to eliminate their co-accused Hajari as the interrogation of the scrap dealer would lead the police to Hajari who, in turn, will spill the beans upon them. To pre-empt any possibility of getting caught by the police, accused Rahul laid out a sinister plan and asked Hajari to come to his hideout along with his family at Ankur Vihar hideout on the pretext that he needed a safe place to lie low for some time. Unaware of the sinister design, Hajari came to accused Rahul’s hideout with his wife and two years old daughter. Citing some commitments, accused Rahul along with his associates took Hajari to a secluded place near Chaproli in Baghpat District, UP and after sedating him with drugs, he was taken to a nearby secluded field and in ghastly manner, beheaded and then burnt by pouring kerosene over his body. The brutality of accused Rahul did not end at eliminating Hajari. After returning to the Ankur Vihar hideout, he took Hajari’s wife on the pretext of dropping her and her daughter to the safe house provided for her husband and took them to a place in Dadri, UP where the lady was also drugged and killed by beheading and later burnt by pouring kerosene. After killing the lady, the criminals abandoned the two year old girl at a roundabout near Noida. Both these ghastly murders have been worked out with the arrest of accused Rahul @ Kamal.

5.      Case FIR No.785/2014 u/s 392/34 IPC PS Jyoti Nagar, New Delhi

Lokesh gave Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo the tipoff that a wholesale dealer of dairy products located near his house collects a stack of cash on a daily basis and could be robbed. Accused Lokesh had carried out the reconnaissance but had desisted from actual participation as his face was known to the victim milk trader. On 06.10.14, accused Shiv @ Bittoo along with his associates looted the milk dealer namely Mohit Shukla at gun point after shutting his shop from inside and looted Rs 83000/-.

Brief Profile of accused Rahul:

Accused Rahul @ Kamal @ Raj @ Vikas (aged 28 years) belongs to Village Sabhapur, near Loni, Delhi. Due to differences with his family over his ways of living, he left his home at in his teens and worked as conductor/helper in private buses running in Loni. During this phase of his life, he came in contact with local criminals and took to crimes. His first major crime was in the year 2007 when he was arrested in an auto theft case. After being released on bail, he got involved in over half a dozen criminal cases concerning burglary, Arms Act, NDPS Act etc. In the year 2008, accused Rahul had kidnapped and murdered one Manoj @ Pauuva by stabbing him over a dispute related to a plot of land. His stature amongst the gangsters operating in Loni on the Delhi – UP border grew quickly and soon, he committed a house robbery in PS Anand Vihar in which a huge amount of cash and other valuables were looted. This had brought him on the radar of Special Cell and in mid-2011, Rahul was arrested by the Special Cell and an amount of Rs. 14,50,000/- earned by him in the sensational house robbery was recovered from his possession. With this arrest, the murder case of Manoj @ Pauwwa was also worked out. After spending about three years in jail, during which he developed a strong network of criminals, accused Rahul was granted bail in 2013.

In late 2013, soon after getting enlarged on bail, accused Rahul along with his associates including the presently arrested Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo committed armed robbery of a Hyundai i-10 car from Noida. This was followed up with another carjacking of a Hyundai Santro car also in Noida. He also indulged in purse and chain snatchings in Ghaziabad, Delhi etc. However, accused Rahul, not being satisfied with his earnings, planned a bigger dacoity and soon, in September 2013, in a sensational case of daylight robbery, accused Rahul along with his associates brazenly barged into the house of an army officer in Defence Enclave, Kankarkheda, Meerut and robbed the family. When the inmates resisted, the criminals opened fire thereby injuring Captain Jawahar Singh, an army officer and decamped with gold, cash and the revolver of the injured army officer. This case has also been worked out with the arrest of accused Rahul @ Kamal. His last disclosed crime was the robbery in Kapashera followed by the gruesome double murder of his associate and his wife.

Brief Profile of accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo:

Accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo (aged 28 years) belongs to Village Baheta Hajipur, District Ghaziabad, UP.  After failing in 10^th Standard, he took to street crimes. He stole a Maruti 800 car to start with. He was arrested for this crime only after he had opened fire upon the police party which had come looking for him. After being released on bail, he had another faceoff with police in 2007 and was arrested for his involvement in an armed robbery of a truck. In the year 2009, accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo along with his associates committed a daring daylight armed robbery in New Ashok Nagar situated DCB Bank and got away with the looted cash of Rs. 7,39,000/-. He was subsequently arrested for this heist. During his prolonged periods of stay in various jails, he got friendly with arrested accused Rahul @ Kamal and Lokesh and in late 2013, accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo along with Rahul @ Kamal and others had committed a series of carjackings mentioned above.

Always on the lookout to commit crimes for monetary gains, Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo got on the other side of the law again in the first week of October 2014 when, his criminal friend Lokesh gave him a tipoff that a wholesale dealer of dairy products located near the house of Lokesh collects a stack of cash on a daily basis and could be robbed. This led to the armed robbery registered at PS Jyoti Nagar wherein accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo along with Lokesh and others had looted the milk dealer namely Mohit Shukla at gun point after shutting his shop from inside. Accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo had been conspiring to commit another crime along with arrested accused Rahul @ Kamal when he was apprehended by the Special Cell.

Brief Profile of accused Lokesh:

Accused Lokesh (aged 38 years) belongs to Village Bharsi, District Shamli, UP and is a son of a retired Delhi Police officer. He later opened a computer centre near Village Baheta Hajipur, District Ghaziabad, UP. Here he met other accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo who is a native of Baheta Hajipur. In the year 2007, accused Lokesh got into an altercation with some local ruffians of New Ashok Nagar, where he was residing, which turned violent and resulted in the murder of one Satender. Accused Lokesh remained in jail for about 3 years for his involvement in this murder case. After serving his sentence, accused started a stationary and sports goods shop at Village Baheta Hajipur, District Ghaziabad, UP. In the year 2014, his volatile temperament caught up with him and he was again arrested after he had opened fire in a drunken brawl. Accused Lokesh, who had developed close friendship with arrested accused Shiv Kumar @ Bitto, conspired with him for his next crime. Lokesh gave Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo the tipoff that a wholesale dealer of dairy products located near his house collects a stack of cash on a daily basis and could be robbed. This led to the armed robbery registered at PS Jyoti Nagar wherein accused Shiv Kumar @ Bittoo along with associates had looted the milk dealer namely Mohit Shukla at gun point after shutting his shop from inside. Accused Lokesh had carried out the reconnaissance but had desisted from actual participation as his face was known to the victim milk trader. Thereafter, in the second week of February 2015, one of the friends of accused Lokesh shared information with him that large amount of cash is transferred from a Hero Honda motorcycle showroom in the area of PS MadhuVihar to a nearby branch of Axis Bank. Accused Lokesh along with his associates drew up a plan to rob this cash and on 16/02/2015, accused along with his associate intercepted the motorcycle being driven by the employees of the Hero Honda showroom near Ambedkar Colony, Delhi and after opening fire aimed towards the legs of the victim rider, snatched the cash bag carrying a total of Rs. 18,50,000/- and made away with the booty. With the arrest of Lokesh, this sensational crime has been worked out.

Brief Profile of accused Gulab Malik:

Accused Gulab Malik (aged 31 years) belongs to Village Sunahera, District Baghpat, UP. After trying his hands at many other menial professions, he settled down as an auto driver. Gulab was, however, not satisfied with his meagre earnings and was looking for ways to get rich quick. His first cousin Salman Malik also shared similar thoughts. Salman introduced Gulab to Rahul and soon, they were member associates of Rahul in executing the loot of TMT iron rod laden truck in the area of Kapashera, New Delhi in August 2014. Accused Gulab Malik had driven the looted truck after de-boarding the victim driver and helper and had later stationed it at the plot of arrested scrap dealer at Mandoli, Delhi. As this heist had gone sour with the police catching up with the robbed truck and the goods, just before Deepawali 2014, accused Gulab along with Salman and Rahul planned another heist to take care of their expenses. This crime was committed upon the proprietor of a hardware shop situated in Electronica City, Loni at gun-point and his cash proceeds from business around Deepawali were looted. Accused Gulab was since then lying low when he was arrested by the Special Cell.

Brief Profile of accused Salman Malik:

Accused Salman Malik (aged 25 years) belongs to Village Sunahera, District Baghpat, UP. After completing his Higher Secondary education he started working in a CNG filling station at Nand Nagri DTC depot. Through a village native, Salman got in touch with one Pankaj Mann who subsequently introduced with him arrested accused Rahul. Gradually, Salman and Rahul became good friends and in search of earning easy money.  Rahul shared the plan to rob a TMT rod laden truck and a need for a trained driver for the same. Accused Salman suggested the name of his cousin Gulab Malik as the driver and with active involvement of these criminals, the heist was executed. As this heist had gone sour with the police catching up with the robbed truck and the goods, just before Deepawali 2014, accused Salman along with Gulaband Rahul planned another heist to take care of their expenses. This crime was committed upon the proprietor of a hardware shop situated in Electronica City, Loni at gun-point and his cash proceeds from business around Deepawali were looted. Accused Salman was since then lying low when he was arrested by the Special Cell.

Brief profile of accused Sachin:

Accused Sachin, s/o Tuki Ram, r/o H. No. 223, Metro Vihar, Phase II, Holambi Kalan, Delhi  was arrested in a case u/ss. 363/366/376 IPC registered at PS Bhojpur, Modi Nagar, UP in the year 2010 . During his stay in Dasna Jail, he met accused Rahul @ Kamal and soon, they became good friends. After release on bail in August 2011, Sachin met Rahul and started staying with him as his help. During the next two years of his stay with Rahul, Sachin learnt all the tricks of the crime world and became friends with many associates of Rahul too. In September 2013, Rahul involved him in the commission of the Kankerkheda dacoity.  Later, Sachin was also involved in two highway robberies on the Delhi-Rajasthan Highway along with Rahul and his associates. He has been apprehended by the Special Cell for his involvement in the above said crimes.