₹1.5 crore robbery drama busted: ‘Victim’ turns out to be mastermind, 5 arrested
Lucknow, November 6: The Lucknow Police on Friday claimed to have cracked a sensational robbery case involving ₹1.5 crore belonging to a Gujarat-based businessman. In a dramatic twist, the man who had reported himself as the victim of the robbery was found to be part of the conspiracy and has been arrested along with four others.
Police recovered ₹1.23 crore in cash, a gold coin, an iPhone, two motorcycles and the vehicle used in the crime. The operation was carried out jointly by the Ashiana Police and the Crime Branch following an extensive investigation.
According to Ashiana Station House Officer (SHO) Gajendra Rai, the case came to light on October 24 when Pragnesh Kumar, a resident of Gujarat, lodged a complaint claiming that he had arrived in Lucknow carrying his employer’s money. He alleged that two motorcycle-borne miscreants intercepted him near the Aurangabad underpass in the Ashiana area and fled with the cash after robbing him.
Treating the complaint seriously, police registered an FIR and launched a detailed investigation. Multiple teams, including the Crime Branch, were deployed to trace the accused and recover the looted money.
During the probe, police received crucial information and arrested Sumit Yadav and Satyam, both residents of Mainpuri, near the Aurangabad underpass. From their possession, police recovered ₹59 lakh in cash, a gold coin, a mobile phone and two motorcycles. Investigators said one of the motorcycles, a Hero Splendor Plus, was used during the robbery, while a Pulsar motorcycle had been purchased using a portion of the looted cash.
Further interrogation of the arrested suspects exposed what police described as a well-planned conspiracy rather than a genuine robbery. Investigators found that several individuals had carefully orchestrated the crime and fabricated the robbery narrative.
The investigation also revealed the involvement of Chirag Singh Yadav, a resident of Firozabad, who allegedly played a key role in planning the operation. Based on leads obtained during questioning, a Lucknow Police team conducted raids in Gujarat and arrested Jai Kumar Patel, Yash Kumar, and surprisingly, complainant Pragnesh Kumar himself.
Police recovered an additional ₹64 lakh in cash and the car used in the incident from the possession of the accused arrested in Gujarat.
Officials said that with these recoveries, the total amount seized has reached ₹1.23 crore. An iPhone and the Pulsar motorcycle allegedly purchased from the stolen money have also been recovered.
All five accused have been arrested and sent for further legal proceedings. Police officials said the investigation has established that the robbery was staged as part of a pre-planned criminal conspiracy aimed at misappropriating the large sum of money while misleading law enforcement agencies.
The recovery of a substantial portion of the cash and the arrest of all key accused is being seen as a major success for the Lucknow Police and Crime Branch.
