3 Held For Rs 1.4 Crore Jewellery Robbery By Posing As Policemen In Delhi

Three individuals have been apprehended for allegedly robbing a jewelry shop by impersonating police officers and escaping with Rs 20 lakh in cash and gold valued at Rs 1.4 crore, officials announced on Monday.

The suspects have been identified as Prashant Raj Kumar Kadam (25), Shubham Raja Ram Kamble (25), and Vikas Kedar (30), who was employed at the jewelry store, according to police reports.

Police stated that the incident took place on September 15 in Shahdara's Farsh Bazaar, when two men entered the establishment disguised as law enforcement officers and departed with valuables including Rs 20 lakh in cash and 1.4 kgs of gold, with a total worth of Rs 1.4 crore.

During their investigation, authorities arrested Vikas and subsequently tracked down Prashant and Shubham in Maharashtra, apprehending them with assistance from local law enforcement, as reported by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.

"During questioning, Prashant revealed that Jeevan and Vikas are his friends, whom he had encountered approximately three years ago at a blood donation camp in Sangli," the DCP explained.

Approximately 15 to 20 days prior to the incident, Vikas and his colleague Jeevan contacted Prashant and suggested a plan to rob their employer's jewelry store in Delhi.

They recommended executing the robbery while posing as police personnel to prevent resistance from staff members. To implement this scheme, Prashant enlisted his friend Shubham.

"On September 13, both Prashant and Shubham departed from Sangli, Maharashtra, on the Goa Express and arrived at Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, Delhi, on September 15," stated the DCP.

Upon arrival at the railway station, Prashant contacted Vikas, who directed them to proceed to Shahdara Metro Station. After reaching the location, Vikas provided turn-by-turn guidance via a social media call to help them locate the store.

He also instructed them to wait nearby and act at the opportune moment when the workshop owner would leave for his lunch break.

"At approximately 1:30 pm, when the owner, Shankar Pujari, went out for lunch, Prashant and Shubham entered the shop pretending to be police officials and committed the robbery. The pair then traveled to Uttam Nagar by auto-rickshaw, from where they hired a taxi to Jaipur," he continued.

After arriving in Jaipur, Vikas arranged for Prashant and Shubham to board a bus to Mumbai while he remained in Jaipur. Subsequently, Vikas contacted his employer and fabricated a story about his own kidnapping and the robbery to deflect suspicion, the DCP added.

Following this, police traveled to Jaipur and took Vikas into custody for interrogation. However, during questioning, he repeatedly provided false information to mislead investigators, according to DCP Yadav.

Only after persistent and thorough questioning by the team did Vikas finally admit to the crime and acknowledge his active participation in both the conspiracy and execution of the robbery.

Police are still investigating Jeevan's potential involvement in the crime. The investigation continues, DCP Yadav concluded.