Unable to make interest payments, man robs lender

new delhi: A 31-year-old man hit a businessman's home in West Delhi along with his associates to steal papers of the property he had submitted as collateral for a Rs 25 lakh loan, after failing to make interest payments due to the lockdown, police said on Tuesday.

Manpreet, who worked as a 'munshi' for an advocate, had taken the loan two years ago and had been paying regular interest on the principal amount. But after the lockdown began, he was unable to pay the monthly interest of Rs 75,000, police said.

They said the robbery happened on Saturday afternoon and they arrested Manpreet and his seven accomplices on Monday night. Efforts are on to arrest two other members of the gang — a woman and a professional wrestler — who are absconding.

According to police, Manpreet had cracked a deal with Praveen, whom he had met while working for the advocate, for Rs 10 lakh to get him his property papers from the businessman. He paid an initial amount of Rs 35,000 to Praveen to execute the robbery.

Four men armed with pistols and knives trespassed into the businessman's home in Vikaspuri with the help of a woman and thrashed him and his female domestic help.

The robbers tied them, looted property documents and a gold chain before fleeing with the help of their associates, who were waiting outside in two cars. One of the robbers also looted a motorcycle from a passerby at gun-point during the escape. Manpreet stood outside and did not enter the house during the robbery, police said.

Deepak Purohit, DCP (West), said they raided over 30 locations and analysed call records and CCTV footage of places around the robbery site. Police have also recovered the robbed items and the vehicles used during the robbery. Meanwhile, in another case where the lockdown pushed a man to crime, a 22-year-old man planned to rob a cash carrier but was intercepted by police in North Delhi before he could execute the robbery.