Defence Colony heist planned in July, men conducted recce: Police

Neighbour of main accused says he saw four men dragging a heavy trunk up the stairs on the night of heist

Investigations into the armed heist in Defence Colony have revealed that the robbery was planned in July. On July 5, the men stole a Hyundai Verna car from Faridabad and conducted a recce of the Defence Colony area for over two-and-a-half months, before finalising their plan.

Police said the men stayed at the home of the mastermind, Hari Kishan, where they planned the loot. They had gone to the same house — T-37 in Khirki Extension — after the robbery, police said.

"We saw them occasionally. They are strongly built men, probably in their early thirties. They never spoke much and came and left at odd hours. On the day of the incident, around 7 pm, I noticed at least four men carrying a large aluminium trunk upstairs. They were dragging it along the staircase and it looked heavy. They were talking among themselves" a neighbour said.

The house, police said, is registered in the name of Kishan's wife. Neighbours said the house was taken up on rent about three months ago and the landlord lives in Khirki Extension.

The two-bedroom house was renovated by the couple soon after they moved in.

Kishan, neighbours said, claimed to be a doctor. His wife was around 25 years old.

On Saturday, police arrived at the house around 1 pm and recovered the keys to the cash van and a few documents, which helped establish the identity of the men.

One of the assailants, Deepak Sharma, was arrested from his home in Sector-5, Pushp Vihar.

One of Deepak's neighbours told Newsline: "The couple rented out this house about nine months ago. They never interacted much. Deepak said he worked for a transport company. Earlier, they had two cars, but for the past one month they travelled on a Pulsar motorcycle. The wife's brother and his wife would visit often and they would either eat out or order in. They rarely cooked at home".

... contd.

ALSO READ

37 years on, Urdu school faces second eviction

Civic agencies could lose Rs 100 crore a year if Haryana buys Rajokri toll plaza: Delhi chief secy

Ghalib returns home, his haveli opens today as public memorial

Cross at your own risk