New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Three unidentified men allegedly robbed a 22-year-old shopkeeper of Rs 14 lakh at gun and knifepoint in northwest Delhi's Model Town area, police said on Saturday. This is the second robbery to take place in a business establishment in the national Capital within a week.
According to officials, a PCR call reporting the incident was received at the Model Town police station on Friday. Acting on the information, police teams rushed to the spot and began an investigation.
The complainant, identified as Kartik, informed the police that he was watching a movie inside his shop when three unknown men entered the premises.
The suspects told him that they wanted to update their mobile number in their Aadhaar card, using the request as a pretext to gain access.
Kartik told investigators that soon after entering, one of the men bolted the shop door from inside. Another allegedly placed a gun against his head, while the third pressed a knife to his neck, threatening him before carrying out the robbery.
The accused then fled with a bag containing Rs 14 lakh in cash, police officials said.
A case has been registered in connection with the incident, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the accused. Police are scanning CCTV footage from the shop and nearby areas to trace the movement of the suspects.
Officials said teams have been deployed to track down those involved, and further investigation is in progress.
The incident comes close on the heels of another major robbery reported earlier this week in the Chandni Chowk area of the national Capital, where three armed men allegedly looted gold jewellery worth approximately Rs 60 lakh from a shop in Kinari Bazar.
The robbery took place around 1:34 p.m. on February 25 in Anar Wali Gali, a narrow and densely crowded lane in one of Delhi's busiest wholesale markets.
According to the shop owner, Ashok Kumar Chaurasia, who has been in the jewellery business for more than three decades, the establishment was being handled by his son at the time of the incident.
Eyewitness accounts and the victim's statement described the robbery as swift and carefully executed. Three men entered the shop and, according to the statement, immediately struck the salesman on the head with the butt of a pistol.
While one of the assailants overpowered the salesman, another allegedly gagged the owner's son with a cloth to prevent him from raising an alarm.
The third accomplice reportedly cleared the display counters of gold ornaments in a matter of seconds -- said to be around 14 seconds -- before the trio fled the scene.
The back-to-back incidents have triggered concern among traders in Delhi.
Members of the local business community have voiced anger over what they termed a serious security lapse.
Pradeep Kumar Jain, President of the Gota Zari Association, criticised the Delhi Police, stating that the robbery occurred despite a high alert being in place across the city.
Police have launched investigations into both cases and said that multiple teams are working to identify the culprits, with CCTV footage and other technical evidence being examined to establish their identities and trace their whereabouts.
--IANS
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