A housemaid in Delhi has been arrested for orchestrating a fake Enforcement Directorate raid on her employer's home, leading to the theft of cash and luxury watches. The scheme involved accomplices posing as officials and mirrors elements of the film Special 26. Two women are in custody, while three men remain at large.
In New Friends Colony, Delhi, a domestic worker named Rekha Devi, aged 40, allegedly masterminded a staged raid on the residence of her employer, RC Sabharwal, an 86-year-old retired architect. Earlier this month, three men arrived at the home dressed in police-style uniforms, claiming to be Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers conducting an official search. They took the family's mobile phones, confined household members to a room, and began rummaging through the premises.
The operation was halted when Sabharwal's grandson confronted the intruders, causing them to flee. The suspects escaped with an estimated Rs 3-4 lakh in cash and seven high-end watches. Delhi Police initiated a thorough investigation, analyzing footage from over 350 CCTV cameras across private systems, city networks, and traffic points. This traced the getaway vehicle from New Friends Colony through Sarai Kale Khan and the Ghazipur border into Uttar Pradesh, ending in Ghaziabad.
Mobile tower data revealed phone numbers active at the crime scene and the vehicle's location, leading investigators to a residence in Ghaziabad belonging to Pooja Rajput, Rekha Devi's sister-in-law. A search of the home uncovered a Deputy Commandant-rank Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) uniform, fake identity cards, a wireless device, and a pistol with an expired licence. Police recovered the stolen watches and some jewellery during the raid.
Rekha Devi and Pooja Rajput are in custody as the principal conspirator and co-accused, respectively. The three fugitive men include Prakash, an active ITBP constable; Manish; and Updesh Singh Thapa, a retired Army personnel whose Baleno car was used in the robbery. Authorities continue efforts to capture the remaining suspects and retrieve any additional stolen items.
