In a daring daylight heist pulled off with clinical precision, unidentified armed men today robbed five employees of a businessman of Rs 7.69 crore in the busy Lajpat Nagar area of south Delhi when they were driving to a bank to deposit the money.
The robbery, one of the biggest in the national capital in terms of money involved, was carried out in a matter of minutes.
Police said around five to six armed men intercepted a Honda City car near Lajpat Nagar Metro station around 9 AM and fled with the vehicle and Rs 7.69 crore cash.
The incident took place at 9:00 AM, when Rakesh Kumar, manager of a Gurgaon-based businessman-cum-financer Rahul Ahuja, was going to Karol Bagh along with three employees, identified as driver Subodh, Rajesh and Baijnath.
Ahuja is the business partner of Rakesh Kalra, a property dealer. Kumar and the other were travelling in Kalra's car. Kumar told police that they collected cash from Kalkaji and Greater Kailash to deposit it in two separate bank accounts in Karol Bagh.
There was some initial confusion on who were the occupants with the police stating that Kalra was in the Honda City.
Their car was being tailed by company's three other employees identified as Sandi, his brother Bandi and gunman, Brijesh in an I-20 car. However, this car was held up at a traffic signal.
When the Honda City reached near Lajpat Nagar Metro Station, a silver Wagon R, bearing UP registration number, overtook them and suddenly stopped right in front of it causing a collision.
Occupants of both the cars came out and a heated argument ensued. In the midst of the altercation, a white Hyundai Verna, bearing Haryana registration number reached the spot.
Around three to four persons alighted from the car and trained their guns at Kumar and his associates, police said.
The robbers then fled from the scene in the Honda City which had Rs 7.69 crore cash in two bags while the Hyundai Verna followed it. The robbers left their silver Wagon R at the spot, which later turned out to be a stolen vehicle.
Kumar made a call from his mobile phone to the police around 9.38 AM saying five to six people stole a brown colour Honda City car and fled towards upmarket Moolchand in south Delhi.
