Lajpat Nagar heist: Main accused in net

NEW DELHI: Police claimed to have got to the bottom of the multi-crore robbery in Lajpat Nagar with the arrest of the main executor, Pradeep Machhender, on Monday. Pradeep, a gangster from Karala village who has several cases of robbery and murder against him, was nabbed by special cell officers amid a shootout in Sultanpuri area of northwest Delhi.He had also attacked the special cell four days ago in Begampur area and escaped after hitting their vehicle with his Innova.
However, the cops, who had been trailing him after a tip-off, were more careful this time. About 12 rounds were fired, from both sides, but no casualties were reported. Special CP (special cell) S N Shrivastava confirmed that Pradeep was arrested from near Block P3 after the firing. A case has been registered at Sultanpuri police station in connection with the shootout, Shrivastava added.
Police said they have established the sequence of events leading up to the heist during daytime. “Two organized gangs had come together to conduct the daring heist. While one gang was headed by Shakti Naidu from Madangir in southeast Delhi, the other was headed by Pradeep. The victim, Rajesh Kalra's, employee, a minor, had planned the crime with his maternal cousin Ajay, who in turn had shared the information with Shakti,” said DCP (special cell) Sanjeev Yadav.
Shakti, a carjacker, was unsure if he could execute the plan by himself as the target was Rajesh Kalra, so he roped in Pradeep, whom he had met in Tihar Jail. Even on Monday night, when the juvenile had a meeting at Select Citywalk in Saket, only Shakti's gang came for the briefing. Pradeep and his gang members were conducting another robbery in Haryana, he told cops during detention.
With the arrest, the investigation has almost been concluded as the other main co-accused, Shiv Shakti, had surrendered on Saturday. Nine persons, including a Gurgaon police constable, have been arrested in connection with the case. The cops have not officially revealed the amount robbed or that recovered but sources said the loot estimate has come down to Rs 4.69 crore from the initial figure of Rs 8 crore, while Rs 2.35 crore has been recovered so far.
Meanwhile, a special cell team is questioning Kalra about the source of the money and his links with bookies and Hawala operators. His associate, Rahul Ahuja, will also be questioned. The ED and IT departments will soon take over Kalra's interrogation.