Pragati Maidan tunnel chosen since no one stops by, says Delhi Police Crime Brance on looting case

New Delhi [India], June 27 : The Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested seven people so far in the Pragati Maidan tunnel loot case that stunned the national capital on Saturday.

The Crime Branch said that the tunnel was selected as the suitable location for the heist since the robbers felt that there would be no good samaritans stopping by to help the victim inside the tunnel.

"They selected the tunnel as the location to commit the crime thinking that other cars would not stop inside the tunnel. Hence there would be no interference," Ravinder Yadav, the Special CP of the Crime Branch said.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch said, "Seven people have been arrested so far, five by the Crime Branch. Rs 5 lakhs have been recovered till now, more may be recovered."

The police said that a 25-year-old delivery agent who used to work at Amazon for seven years may have planned the loot. "25-year-old Usman, a resident of Kaushik enclave in Burari used to work as an Amazon Delivery agent for seven years in the Chandni Chowk area. So he had the idea of the place and knew about the involvement of cash transactions in the area."

The police further informed that Usman was in debt and had lost quite a handful, betting during the IPL. Hence he first, roped in his cousin, Irfan, a barber by profession for the job. The police said that both of them were from Madhya Pradesh but had settled in Delhi in the last few years.

Usman, then roped in others, in order to plan and execute the heist, the police said. Some of them helped in getting the stolen bikes, which the police have got their hands on, but could not trace them yet as their verification marks were removed.

One of the accomplices was Anuj Mishra alias Sunky (26), a mechanic working at the Delhi Jal Board for six years. He was one of the motorcycle drivers. Two of the accomplices were vegetable vendors. One among them, Sumit was taken along with Usman to act as a cover.

The two who have been arrested recently have been identified as Pradeep and Bala. They have not been interrogated yet, the police said. However, their hinch is that Pradeep may have been one of the masterminds, the police said.

Speaking about how the heist was planned, Special CP Crime Branch Ravinder Yadav said, "Usman and Sumit went to the Amazon facility where they laid their eyes on the Amazon facility for three days. At first, they went there on Thursday at 2 pm to see who used to take the cash. Failing to ascertain the person, they continued to visit the facility on Friday and Saturday when they were able to finally ascertain the person who is carrying cash."

The CCTV footage at the Red Fort area helped in ascertaining the entire episode. "The person took a rikshaw to Red Fort since cars not allowed at the Chandni Chowk area. He took a cab from there. This information was relayed by Usman to the bikers, Irfan, Bala and Sunky who went after the car," Ravinder Yadav said.

The police said that other than the two motorbikes, one weapon, some cartridges and an amount of around 5 lakhs have been recovered from those who have been arrested. The police added that some people involved in the heist are on the run and will be arrested in a day or two. The police have been able to solve the case with the help of CCTV footage, human intelligence and technical analysis, the police said.

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