West Delhi area rocked by four robberies in 90 minutes

NEW DELHI - In what must be a dubious record of sorts for Delhi, over Rs.14 lakh were looted in two armed heists, a man was waylaid and stabbed, and a car was snatched - all within a span of a mere 90 minutes Sunday night, leaving the city shocked at rising crime.

All the four incidents occurred in a small area in west Delhi Sunday night.

The first incident took place around 10.30 p.m. when businessman Kuldeep Batra’s house on Hastsal Road in Uttam Nagar area was broken into.

Kuldeep and his family had gone to a Sai Baba temple nearby around 9 p.m.

“Finding the house locked and nobody inside, the robbers cut the iron grills of a window and broke the locks of the front door and entered the house. They ransacked the house, opened all the wooden almirahs and decamped with cash and jewellery worth over Rs.12 lakh,” a senior police officer said.

Upon returning, Batra found his home ransacked and called the police, he said.

In the second incident around 11 p.m., four unidentified armed robbers barged into a house in Bhagwati Garden area, also of Uttam Nagar, held the occupants hostage, and escaped with Rs.2 lakh in cash and some jewellery.

Police said the house owner, Harnam Singh was out of home, but his wife and kids were present when the four armed men struck.

“They forced them into a room and took all the keys of the lockers. One of the men watched over the family and the rest robbed the house for about half an hour,” a police officer said.

Harnam’s wife had given descriptions of the robbers and investigations were on, he said.

Meanwhile, near Kakraula More in the same area, two armed assailants stabbed a man walking down the road and robbed him of cash and valuables worth Rs.5,000.

“Hari Krishan, 25, was walking home after closing his medical shop when the armed assailants first stopped him and fired a gun shot in air to scare him. When Krishan resisted, they stabbed him, snatched money and valuables, and left him bleeding,” the police officer said.

In the fourth incident near Pankha Road, also in the same area, three armed miscreants stopped a property dealer’s Hyundai car and snatched it at gun point.

“When we got a call on the PCR (Police Control Room), our team from Bindapur and Uttam Nagar police stations reached the spot around 1.30 a.m. and found the car dumped in Janakpuri area,” said the officer.

Reacting to these incidents, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) V. Renganathan expressed confidence of nabbing the culprits.

“We are still investigating and have detained 10 to 15 history-sheeters of the area. We have sent all the mobile teams across the area. We have also collected all evidences and have sent these to forensic departments. We have some clues and are hoping that we will nab them very soon.”