Delhi Sees Crime Spurt: Rs 2 Crore Heist in Karol Bagh, Rs 75 Lakh Dacoity in Ashok Vihar
Sunil Negi
New Delhi, 24 August
The national capital has witnessed a sharp spurt in street and house crimes in the last 72 hours, raising questions over policing, with two major heists in Karol Bagh and Ashok Vihar.
Karol Bagh – 3 bags with Rs 2 crore jewellery looted
In a daring daylight-style theft, two motorcycle-borne men smashed the rear window of a parked SUV and decamped with jewellery worth over Rs 2 crore in Central Delhi’s Karol Bagh.
The victim, Jaipur-based jeweller Kanhaiya Lal, owner of SKG Kundan Crafts, had come to Delhi on August 18 with his son Dhruv Soni and a staff member for business marketing. According to his complaint, he was carrying three backpacks containing gold-diamond jewellery, a laptop and documents and one suitcase with clothes.
On August 19, after visiting several jewellers in Greater Kailash M-Block, he parked his SUV on Arya Samaj Road opposite Canara Bank near Bikaner Chowk at around 5.30 pm and went with his companions to a nearby Bikanervala restaurant for dinner.
Police said the accused, wearing helmets, had allegedly followed the SUV. They used a catapult to break the rear glass and fled with all three bags and the suitcase within minutes.
When the group returned at 7.15 pm, they found the window shattered and bags missing. A PCR call was received at Karol Bagh police station.
DCP Central Rohit Rajbir Singh said Crime Team, Special Staff and Anti-Auto Theft Squad inspected the spot. CCTV analysis identified two suspects on a motorcycle. The motorcycle has been traced to its registered owner and three persons including the owner and his two brothers have been detained for questioning. Efforts are on to recover the jewellery. A case under theft has been registered.
Ashok Vihar – 8 robbers, woman held at knifepoint, Rs 75 lakh looted:
Just two days ago, in a chilling dacoity in northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar, eight armed robbers barged into a house and decamped with cash and jewellery worth Rs 75 lakh in broad daylight, holding a 56-year-old housewife hostage at knife point.
According to police, the robbers tied her hands and legs and taped her mouth, threatened her with a knife and ransacked the house.
The family had reportedly kept sale proceeds of a property at home. A case of dacoity has been registered at Ashok Vihar police station and multiple teams have been formed.
The incident mirrors a similar 2023 case in the same area where Rs 1.3 crore was looted. However, the crime branch of Delhi police have been extremely swift having caught all the rubbers and Rs. 55 lakhs recovered including pistols, cartridges and the three Mobile phones.
Other crimes in last one week:
The two major heists are not isolated.
1. Jungpura Murder-cum-Robbery: On August 21, a 70-year-old woman, Preeti Kumar, living alone in Pantnagar, Jungpura, was found murdered with her hands tied. Robbery is suspected. Neighbours said the accused latched five adjacent flats from outside before committing the crime. Police are scanning CCTV.
2. Mangolpuri Knife Attack: On Friday evening, six persons sustained injuries after a group of men attacked passersby with knives in Mangolpuri. Old enmity is suspected.
3. Karol Bagh Building Collapse: A two-storey building collapsed during illegal demolition in Karol Bagh on August 21, killing one labourer and injuring three others. Police said owners had not obtained demolition permission.
Police claim night patrolling and CCTV surveillance have been intensified, but the back-to-back incidents have left traders and residents in Central and Northwest Delhi in panic.
