NEW DELHI: Two men were arrested for robbing and then kidnapping a Bulgarian tourist from an ATM in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka Mod a few days ago.
The duo had demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore for his release. However, the police managed to rescue the victim, Palashev Rodaslav, and arrest the kidnappers late on Saturday.
Both the accused, Anoop Dagar (36) and Naveen Dagar (29), are members of the Rajesh Bawania gang and belong to Jharoda Kalan village of southwest Delhi. Anoop is a notorious criminal and a land-grabber in the area. In 2014, he and his associates had murdered a property dealer in a dispute over a piece of land.
At 10.30pm on Thursday, Rodaslav had gone to the ATM to withdraw money with his friend, George, also a Bulgarian. The two criminals saw them and got inside the ATM. They first robbed them of Rs 1 lakh and then asked Rodaslav to accompany them as they wanted more money. They took Rodaslav, while George rushed back to his apartment. He did not share the incident with anyone. Around midnight, he received a ransom call from the kidnappers demanding Rs 2 crore for Rodaslav’s release.
Scared, George opened up to their common friend, Anand, whose apartment they were living in. Anand, a doctor by profession, had met the two in Armenia while pursuing an MBBS course and had invited them to India. Rodaslav is a software engineer, while George is a businessman. It’s their first visit to India.
“Police was informed around 9.45am on Saturday. An FIR was registered at Mohan Garden Police Station and a special team was formed under DCP Anto Alphonse,” said Shalini Singh, joint commissioner (western range).
Police scanned the CCTV footage from the ATM to identify the kidnappers and their vehicle’s registration number. The kidnappers kept switching their phones off, making it difficult to track them. “On Saturday afternoon, we finally traced them to a location on Najafgarh-Jharoda Kalan Road. We also received a tip-off that a foreign national was seen with two Indian men near Jharoda Kalan in a white car having a Haryana registration number,” DCP (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse said.
The police team decided to lay a trap for the kidnappers at the spot in Jhraoda where George had been called alone to deliver the ransom.
The cops were stationed in private vehicles and plain clothes. However, the kidnappers did not turn up, which indicated that they had sensed police presence. The cops then started scanning the nearby roads and fund a white i20 near Gate 2 of the CRPF camp in the area.
When the vehicle was intercepted, the kidnappers opened fire at the police team. The cops opened fire too and flattened the car’s tyres. The criminals tried to run away, but were chased by the cops. A scuffle ensued in which three cops were injured, but they safely managed to rescue Rodaslav. The police found two pistols and Rs 1 lakh cash from the accused. An FIR of assault on police was also filed.
The duo had demanded a ransom of Rs 2 crore for his release. However, the police managed to rescue the victim, Palashev Rodaslav, and arrest the kidnappers late on Saturday.
Both the accused, Anoop Dagar (36) and Naveen Dagar (29), are members of the Rajesh Bawania gang and belong to Jharoda Kalan village of southwest Delhi. Anoop is a notorious criminal and a land-grabber in the area. In 2014, he and his associates had murdered a property dealer in a dispute over a piece of land.
At 10.30pm on Thursday, Rodaslav had gone to the ATM to withdraw money with his friend, George, also a Bulgarian. The two criminals saw them and got inside the ATM. They first robbed them of Rs 1 lakh and then asked Rodaslav to accompany them as they wanted more money. They took Rodaslav, while George rushed back to his apartment. He did not share the incident with anyone. Around midnight, he received a ransom call from the kidnappers demanding Rs 2 crore for Rodaslav’s release.
Scared, George opened up to their common friend, Anand, whose apartment they were living in. Anand, a doctor by profession, had met the two in Armenia while pursuing an MBBS course and had invited them to India. Rodaslav is a software engineer, while George is a businessman. It’s their first visit to India.
“Police was informed around 9.45am on Saturday. An FIR was registered at Mohan Garden Police Station and a special team was formed under DCP Anto Alphonse,” said Shalini Singh, joint commissioner (western range).
Police scanned the CCTV footage from the ATM to identify the kidnappers and their vehicle’s registration number. The kidnappers kept switching their phones off, making it difficult to track them. “On Saturday afternoon, we finally traced them to a location on Najafgarh-Jharoda Kalan Road. We also received a tip-off that a foreign national was seen with two Indian men near Jharoda Kalan in a white car having a Haryana registration number,” DCP (Dwarka) Anto Alphonse said.
The police team decided to lay a trap for the kidnappers at the spot in Jhraoda where George had been called alone to deliver the ransom.
The cops were stationed in private vehicles and plain clothes. However, the kidnappers did not turn up, which indicated that they had sensed police presence. The cops then started scanning the nearby roads and fund a white i20 near Gate 2 of the CRPF camp in the area.
When the vehicle was intercepted, the kidnappers opened fire at the police team. The cops opened fire too and flattened the car’s tyres. The criminals tried to run away, but were chased by the cops. A scuffle ensued in which three cops were injured, but they safely managed to rescue Rodaslav. The police found two pistols and Rs 1 lakh cash from the accused. An FIR of assault on police was also filed.
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