'Molestation claim used as cover’: Gang loots Rs 15 lakh, 22 iPhones worth Rs 30 lakh in Delhi; 6 arrested

NEW DELHI: Five people, including three women, have been arrested for allegedly robbing a businessman’s employee in north Delhi after accusing him of molestation to distract bystanders and flee with cash and high-value mobile phones.Police said the gang had boarded a bus from Jammu. The employee of a mobile store in Jammu, Ramesh Chand, 39, was travelling to Timarpur with two bags — one containing Rs 15 lakh and 22 packed Apple iPhones worth Rs 30 lakh, and the other carrying his personal mobile phone. As he got off the bus, the gang followed him in an autorickshaw, surrounded him and falsely accused him of molestation and assault. While the women reportedly created a scene, the men fled with the bags.The arrested accused have been identified as Hashu Bibi, 23, Juna Begum, 31, Maneeva Akhtar, 24, Tarig Hussain, 33 and Mohammad Farole, 28, all residents of Jammu.The incident took place on Feb 17. Police said the three women were caught on the spot with the help of bystanders and the victim’s mobile phone.Deputy commissioner of police (North) Raja Banthia said that during questioning, the accused revealed that a man named Parvez had planned the robbery.

They also said the male accomplices initially returned to Jammu.On Feb 20, Farooq was arrested in Chandigarh, Punjab, while he was on his way to meet an advocate for anticipatory bail, aware that police were closing in. He told officers that Parvez had taken the stolen cash and phones. A separate team tracking Tarig traced him to his native village, Farole, but he was absconding. Tarig owned two buses that ran between his village and Udhampur, and despite police laying traps at both ends of the routes, he managed to evade arrest.Teams then pursued the accused through remote parts of Udhampur for five days, navigating forests, hilly terrain and unpaved tracks. Officers even spent nights in the forests. After an eight-day search, Tarig was arrested in his village, and Rs 2 lakh was recovered from him.Initially, he withheld information about the stolen property. However, after interrogation, he disclosed that Parvez had told him to hide the cash and phones in an animal enclosure at his house. Police later recovered Rs 13 lakh and 21 Apple iPhones from the spot.Investigators said Parvez had identified the victim on the Jammu–Delhi bus as someone carrying large sums of cash and valuable items and planned the robbery accordingly.