The Hindu : New Delhi News : Auto-lifters nabbed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 05, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Auto-lifters nabbed

Staff Reporter

One of the accused had been working in Parliament House as a sweeper

NEW DELHI: Three members of an inter-State gang of auto-lifters and robbers allegedly involved in an armed robbery at Kanjhawala here on the night of May 1-2 were nabbed following a minor encounter with the North West Delhi police near Mundka village on Tuesday.

The police said on receipt of specific information that three men were coming in a stolen vehicle from Bahadurgarh in Haryana to Mundka village, barricades were set up on the road. It was then that a while Maruti car was noticed coming from Bahadurgarh side while being driven on the service lane. Immediately the police personnel rushed to intercept the vehicle and signalled the vehicle to stop. However, the drive tried to run over the police party but the police personnel managed to obstruct the movement of the vehicle and forced it to halt.

At this, the police said, one of the occupants pulled out a countrymade pistol and opened fire. Still, the police personnel managed to overpower all the three occupants and pinned them down. The accused were identified as Neeraj and Somvir, both 20 years old and residents of Mundka, and 21-year-old Rajesh, a resident of Jind in Haryana. The police said while Neeraj was driving the vehicle, which had been stolen from Paschim Vihar, Rajesh was found in the possession of a spring actuated knife. Incidentally, Somvir had been working in Parliament House as a sweeper on daily wages and was the one who had procured arms for the gang members. Interrogation of the accused revealed that Somvir that come into contact with Kapil of Jind, who had initiated him into stealing vehicles and committing robberies.

On May 1 night, Somvir, Kapil and Rajesh had while travelling in another Maruti car, which had been stolen by them from Nangloi, intercepted and robbed 48-year-old Ishwar Singh at gun point near Chandpur village in Kanjhawala. Though faced with resistance, they had managed to flee with Rs 5,960 in cash besides his other personal belongings. However, their car had met with an accident while they were speeding away and so they were forced to abandon it.

It was then that they stole the other Maruti car, with which they were caught, from Paschim Vihar. Then they had crossed over into Haryana in the vehicle along with another one which had been taken from Neeraj's relative in Madanpur Dabas. The kingpin, Kapil, had alighted from the vehicle at Tikri Border. On the way to Bahadurgarh, the accused drove both the vehicles at high speed and again one of the cars, being driven by Somvir met with an accident. While Somvir was injured, one of his associates, Sunil of Jind, was killed in the mishap. The police said it was while the accused were ferrying Somvir to a Delhi hospital for medical treatment, that they were intercepted. Efforts are now being made to ascertain the other crimes in which the accused were involved and to nab the gang leader, Kapil.

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