New Delhi: A cousin, a cash tip-off and a fake number plate — these three threads helped Delhi Police unravel a robbery and murder of a man near north Delhi’s Kashmere Gate last week.
Police began stitching together a trail from more than 500 CCTV cameras, along with ANPR footage and technical surveillance. Footage from around 150 cameras showed a vehicle with an Uttar Pradesh registration number approaching the underpass from the Yamuna side through Loha Pul about two hours before the robbery. They also apprehended a 16-year-old. Another accused, Abhishek (24), was caught in Etawah.
Five to six people were inside it,” a senior police officer said. Om allegedly told police that he had shared information about Prabhat’s movements and transportation of cash with Deepu and another man, identified as Raj. Police said Deepu then brought in two associates from his village in Jhansi, including the juvenile, while Om and Raj contacted Anirudh Chauhan and Abhishek. Police said Anirudh already knew Prabhat.
“Investigators then widened the CCTV trail. Police teams travelled to Kanpur and Jhansi and caught Om and Deepu.
The two had met earlier in Om’s village when Prabhat visited Om’s family after the death of Om’s maternal uncle.
The accused were identified as Om Singh (21), who is Prabhat’s cousin, Deepu Rathore (28), Abhishek (24) a 16-year-old boy. The vehicle was traced to Deepu Rathore (28) of Jhansi. The victim, Prabhat’s cousin allegedly helped the attackers by sharing details of his movements and the cash he was carrying. His call records threw up the second thread. A phone number that Deepu’s phone had interacted with was also in contact with Prabhat, the victim. This number belonged to Om, Prabhat’s cousin, the son of his paternal aunt.