3 murder 74-yr-old man, hit 2 others in snatching spree in Delhi
The suspects had fled after the robberies, which took place a few kilometres from Janakpuri. But, they were arrested by afternoon.
Three motorcycle-borne assailants stabbed and robbed three men, including two septuagenarians, within nearly 10 minutes in three separate lanes of a congested residential neighbourhood of Sagarpur in southwest Delhi on Monday morning. One of the elderly men died in the attack, police officers said.
The suspects had fled after the robberies, which took place a few kilometres from Janakpuri. But, they were arrested by afternoon from the nearby Manglapuri, Palam and Dabri areas, police said.
They had robbed the victims of cash, jewellery, watch and other items, police added.
One of the badly injured victims was 74-year-old Mohan Lal Chhabra, who allegedly suffered more than a dozen stab injuries. He succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment, police said.
The other two victims were taken for treatment, and their condition is said to be stable, officers said.
Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Manoj C said that three separate first information reports (FIRs), including one for murder, were registered against the three at the Sagarpur police station.
Street crimes, such as robbery and snatching, remain a serious issue in the Capital, as in some cases victims have either lost their lives or have been critically injured while trying to resist the crime bid.
According to Delhi Police data available till July 15 last year, on an average, at least six cases of robbery and 25 of snatching were registered everyday in the city in 2022. In 2021, at least five cases of robbery and 22 of snatching were reported till the same period.
In Monday morning’s series of stabbings and robberies, the first incident took place at around 5.15am, when 54-year-old Ashok Kumar, who works in a private company, stepped out of his Jagdamba Vihar residence for a morning walk. The three accused, wearing helmets and cap, and riding a black Hero motorcycle, waylaid him in a lane and tried to rob him, police said
“As Kumar tried to resist, two of them stabbed him three to four times. They removed his wristwatch and took out his wallet containing some cash and documents. Thereafter, they sped away while Kumar was bleeding and asking people for help,” said a local resident, who did not want to be identified.
DCP Manoj said that police received a call about the stabbing and robbery at around 5.17am. By the time they reached the spot, Kumar had already been taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital in a police patrol van.
Within 10 minutes, Chhabra and Om Dutt Singh, 76, were also stabbed multiple times and then robbed in separate areas of the neighbourhood, police said.
During the time of the attack, Chhabra, who formerly worked as a street vendor, was on his way to a physiotherapy clinic in Janakpuri, his family said.
“He had walked some 200 metres away from our house in Gali No 2A, Durga Park, when two robbers wearing helmets waylaid him in Gali No 5, Mohan Block. In a CCTV footage, the two robbers are seen cornering my father and then dragging him away from the camera’s view. They stabbed him more than 12 times and robbed him of his gold ring, a pair of gold earrings, around ₹20,000 in cash and a bag that contained a glass, a bedsheet, and his medical documents,” said one of his sons Mahender Chhabra, who works in a private company in Gurugram.
According to Mahender, after the robbers fled, his father managed to phone his younger son number as his mobile was not robbed.
“My brother reached there in his taxi and rushed him to a private hospital. He succumbed to his injuries nearly 15 minutes after reaching there hospital,” added Mahender.
A few minutes after attacking Chhabra, the robbers attacked Singh in Durga Park while he was also going for a morning walk.
The robbers took away ₹500 in cash and some documents from him. Singh was also admitted to DDU hospital, from where he was discharged in the evening, police said.
On getting information, police formed five teams to identify and nab the suspects, who were arrested within 10 hours from Manglapuri, Palam and Dabri, said DCP Manoj.
They were identified as Akshay Kumar, 36, who was previously involved in 42 crimes, Vaibhav Shrivastava,32, also a habitual criminal, and Sonu alias Fussi,26, who has no criminal past, the officer said.
One of the two knives used in the crime was recovered. Police also recovered the stolen wristwatch, some cash and documents.
“Akshay, being a habitual offender, was under constant police vigil. The beat officer had visited his home for inspection just two hours before Monday’s crime. Akshay and Shrivastava were booked under preventive arrest last month,” the police officer said.
On the reasons behind the rise in street crimes, former Delhi Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ashok Chand, said, “The practice of burking of crimes to keep the crime statistics under control is one of the reasons why criminals are going berserk. But in my opinion, all crimes should be converted into FIRs, only then the real situation of crimes happening in the city can be accessed, and preventive measures can be taken accordingly. The other measures such as increased police patrolling and keeping vigil on habitual criminals can be helpful only when the ground reality is known.”
