Dwarka dacoity: Criminals, posing as ED officials, loot man of Rs 3 crore; 3 arrested

Three men have been arrested in connection with Friday's sensational dacoity in Delhi's Dwarka, where members of a gang, passing themselves off as ED officers, looted Rs 3 crore from a man after kidnapping him, police said on Sunday.

The arrested accused were identified as Amit a.k.a Jolly, Rohit alias Ashwin, both residents of Haryana's Gohana, and Manish, a resident of Delhi's Bawana in Delhi.

According to police, complainant Ravi, who resides in Gopal Nagar, told at around 8 p.m. on Friday, he was standing on the main road near his home when a white car suddenly pulled up.

"Three unidentified individuals emerged from the car and forcibly placed Ravi in the vehicle, claiming to be from the Enforcement Directorate, effectively kidnapping him," said a senior police official.

Two other persons arrived in another car and brandished a pistol at Ravi, menacingly demanding that he surrender the money he had received from the sale of his property.

"They alleged that this money was associated with illegal activities," said the official.

Subsequently, they brought back Ravi to his residence and took away a significant sum of cash, amounting to Rs 3 crore 20 lakhs and the mobile phones belonging to Ravi and his mother, all while falsely asserting that this was an ED raid.

"They then left Ravi near the Bharat petrol pump on the main road and fled the scene,” said the official.

After the matter was reported at the Baba Haridas Nagar police station, a comprehensive investigation was launched, leading to the identification and subsequent arrest of one of the accused, Amit, by the Narela police.

Amit was charged under the Arms Act (Sections 25/27) and found in possession of approximately Rs. 70 lakhs in cash, an illegal pistol, and a car used in the commission of the crime," said the official.

Following Amit's interrogation and information obtained from sources, another accused, Rohit, was apprehended on Saturday night in connection with the case.

"Based on the information provided by Amit and Rohit during their interrogations, a specialised police team was formed to locate the remaining suspects and recover the stolen funds," said the official.

"After extensive efforts by the dedicated teams, one of the co-accused, named Manish, was apprehended, and approximately Rs 57 lakh of the looted money were recovered from his possession,” said the official,

Additionally, the vehicle used in the commission of the incident, was also recovered.

In total, a sum of Rs 1 crore 27 lakh has been recovered thus far. "Manhunt has been initiated for the other accused, who are absconding," an official privy to investigation said.

The incident has once again brought to light the concerning trend of criminals exploiting government agencies for their unlawful activities.