Gold trader robbed of Rs 1.5 crore in Seelampur

New Delhi: A gold trader was robbed of jewellery and other valuables worth nearly Rs 1.5 crore by a group of men in northeast Delhi’s Seelampur on Monday evening, in what police suspect was a premeditated robbery disguised as a road rage incident. No arrests have been made so far.

The incident took place around 8.30 pm near Welcome Metro Station, close to the office of the deputy commissioner of police (Northeast).

Police said the complaint was filed by Pratham Bansal, 24, a Shahdara resident who is engaged in the gold trade at Koocha Mahajani in Chandni Chowk. Bansal told investigators that he and his father were returning home on a scooter when two men on another two-wheeler allegedly rammed into them from behind and picked an argument.

Moments later, two more men arrived in an SUV and joined the confrontation. The group then reportedly took away valuables, including a gold chain, a gold bar and the scooter, before fleeing in the SUV, police said.

A wireless alert was issued with details of the suspect vehicle, which bore a Uttar Pradesh registration number. The SUV was later located near the Bhopura border, but the occupants abandoned it and fled by the time police reached the spot.

Speaking to TOI, Bansal said it was a routine day and that he was carrying around 1 kg of gold jewellery, which was to be delivered to another trader the next morning.

“Two men on a scooter deliberately blocked our way and turned aggressive. Before I could make sense of what was happening, an SUV stopped and several more men got down. They claimed to be police personnel and tried to force me to go with them. I suspected something was wrong and resisted,” he said.

Growing suspicious, Bansal refused to comply and began resisting. In a desperate attempt to escape, he struck at least one of the assailants with his helmet and managed to break free before fleeing to seek help.

By then, however, the attackers had already seized the gold jewellery and escaped. Bansal believes the robbery was meticulously planned, suggesting the gang may have had prior knowledge of his movements and the valuables he was carrying that evening.

Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including robbery and common intention.