Police nab pvt bus helper for stealing $1,600 from Iranian woman at ISBT Kashmere Gate

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police have arrested a helper of a private bus service for allegedly stealing money from the purse of an Iranian woman at ISBT Kashmere Gate.

Police said the matter came to light following a complaint lodged at the ISBT Kashmere Gate Police Post. The accused has been identified as Monish (26), son of Amjad Ali, a resident of Jahangir Puri in north Delhi.

According to the police, the complaint was filed by a Delhi University professor and Mukherjee Nagar resident, who reported that his guest, Ms Fareshteh Sayanjali, an Iranian national visiting India, had misplaced her purse while deboarding a FlixBus at ISBT Kashmere Gate around 1.45 pm on December 15.

Although the bus operator later contacted the woman and returned the purse, she found that $1,600 kept inside were missing.

An FIR was registered at Kashmere Gate police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and an investigation was immediately launched. Given that the victim was a foreign national and the sensitive nature of the case, police said swift action was taken to trace the stolen money.

A special team led by Inspector Prashant Yadav, station house officer of Kashmere Gate police station, and supervised by ACP Shankar Banerjee of the Kotwali subdivision, was formed. The team questioned the driver and conductor of the FlixBus, which had travelled from Rishikesh

to Delhi.

During the inquiry, the conductor stated that the purse had been found on a seat and was handed over by the bus helper, Monish. Police said the helper initially gave evasive and misleading replies, but sustained interrogation led to his alleged confession that he had removed the cash before the purse was returned.

Acting on his disclosure, police conducted a late-night raid at his residence in Jahangir Puri between December 15 and 16 and recovered the entire amount of $1,600.

The accused, educated up to Class 10, has worked as a bus helper for a year. Police arrest and recovery showed commitment to safety.