A 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy were apprehended by the police for a series of knifepoint robberies and stabbing at least five people, including a police personnel, in three incidents in the early hours of Friday in Adarsh Nagar, northwest Delhi, police said.
Police said the accused, who were on a two-wheeler, were arrested within 12 hours of the incidents and all victims, except a policeman, were discharged after treatment. They identified the 19-year-old as Suraj Kumar, who had come from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh.
“The incidents were reported around between 4am and 5.30am, and the accused were arrested by evening,” deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Bhisham Singh said.
A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said: “The distance between the spots of the first and third incidents is barely a kilometre. They committed the first and second incident one after the other, but returned later for the third incident.”
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The officer identified the victims in the first incident as Himanshu Kumar and Sonu Kumar, both aged 21 years, who work as tomato vendors at the Azadpur market and live in Kewal Park. “They had just come to the main road and were on their way to the mandi when two men came on a scooter and tried to rob them around 3.50am,” the officer said.
The accused stabbed Sonu Kumar, and snatched both their phones and ₹50,000 at knifepoint, police said.
About 500 metres ahead, at 4.10am, they allegedly attacked a pick-up truck driver who works at Azadpur Mandi, identified as Mukesh Kumar, 42, when was unloading cargo from his truck. “They stabbed him too and robbed him of his phone and wallet,” the officer said.
Police said Mukesh Kumar resisted the robbery bid, and a cab driver Abhishek Pandey, 28, and police head constable Jai Bhagwan intervened, but they were also stabbed. Bhagwan was returning from Ranjit Nagar police station to his home in Adarsh Nagar and was not wearing his uniform, they said.
The third incident took place around 5.30am, when Kewal Park resident Chinmay Dev, 36, was attacked near the cremation ground. “This incident occurred when the man was going to work. He said he was a content creator. The accused stabbed him and robbed him of his laptop,” the officer said.
The officer said they fled the area after the first two incidents but returned soon. All civilian victims were discharged after treatment, while Bhagwan is undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
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A case of robbery and causing hurt was registered at the Adarsh Nagar police station. Police said they tracked the accused using CCTV footage, and technical and human surveillance.
DCP Singh said Suraj Kumar was found to be involved in six cases of theft and firing, and the minor was also previously involved in robberies. Police said they recovered ₹41,000 cash, a laptop, two phones, a stolen scooter and the knife used in the crimes.
