Trusted maid masterminds fake ED raid to rob elderly couple
New Delhi: What initially appeared to be an official Enforcement Directorate search at a New Friends Colony residence was later found to be a crime planned with inside information from the household itself, as Delhi Police arrested the family’s domestic help for allegedly masterminding a fake raid that targeted an elderly couple and netted several lakh rupees.
The incident occurred around 10 am on February 11 at the residence of RC Sabharwal, an 86-year-old retired senior architect, and his wife Usha Sabharwal. Police said three men dressed in police-style uniforms entered the house claiming they were authorised ED officials conducting a search operation. They refused to show any warrant or authorisation letter and allegedly intimidated the couple, demanding that mobile phones, cash, jewellery and other valuables be placed on a table.
“The moment the accused entered their house, they asked the elderly couple to keep their mobile phones, jewellery, cash and valuables on a table,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Aishwarya Sharma said.
Investigators said the accused snatched the couple’s mobile phones, switched them off and prevented them from contacting anyone. Under threats of arrest, the complainant placed a bag containing around Rs 10 to 12 lakh on the dining table, which police said was legitimate business income. The impostors photographed the cash and reiterated threats of legal action.
The situation shifted when Usha Sabharwal managed to alert her grandson, a senior lawyer. Sensing trouble, the accused fled the spot, allegedly taking Rs 3 to 4 lakh in cash, seven luxury watches and some jewellery, police said.
Following a complaint at the New Friends Colony police station, an FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with cheating, cheating by personation, criminal trespass, wrongful confinement, common intention, criminal conspiracy, impersonation and robbery.
During the investigation, police identified the couple’s domestic help, Rekha Devi, 40, as the key conspirator. Devi, who had been working at the residence, was familiar with the family’s routine and movements. Investigators said she shared details about the household with her relatives and associates, believing the elderly couple would be easy targets.
Within 24 hours of sustained investigation, police arrested Devi and her sister-in-law Pooja Rajput, 45, from Ghaziabad. The remaining accused are absconding and have been identified as Pooja’s husband Prakash Kumar, a serving Indo-Tibetan Border Police constable, her son Manish, and Updesh Singh Thapa alias Pintu, a retired army personnel.
Police said the crime was executed with careful planning. “They believed that impersonating officials of a central agency would ensure compliance and minimise resistance,” an officer involved in the probe said.
A special team led by Inspector Rajender Kumar Jain and supervised by ACP Ravi Shanker analysed footage from more than 350 CCTV cameras, including private cameras in the D-Block area, Delhi Police surveillance cameras and high-speed traffic cameras along major routes.
The suspects’ vehicle was tracked from New Friends Colony through Sarai Kale Khan, across the Ghazipur border into Uttar Pradesh, and finally to Sector 4 in Vaishali, Ghaziabad. The vehicle was registered in the name of Thapa. Investigators then used mobile tower dump data and IMEI tracking to identify phones active at both the crime scene and the Vaishali location during the relevant time frame.
Searches at Pooja Rajput’s residence in Vaishali led to the recovery of an ITBP deputy commandant’s uniform, a fake ITBP identity card, a wireless communication device, seven luxury watches, jewellery and a pistol with a licence that expired in 2019.
Police said raids are continuing to arrest the remaining accused, recover the remaining stolen cash and determine whether the group may have been involved in similar incidents elsewhere.
