Complainant Turns Mastermind in ₹30 Lakh Fake Robbery Case (Pankaj Rai)
New Delhi: A case involving an alleged robbery of ₹30 lakh in the national capital took a dramatic turn during the investigation, leaving the police surprised. The young man who had claimed to be a victim of the robbers allegedly turned out to be the mastermind behind the entire incident. The Moti Nagar Police Station of the Western District has arrested the complainant and his associate after allegedly exposing a conspiracy to stage a fake robbery. Police have recovered the entire ₹30 lakh in cash, the bag containing the money, and the motorcycle allegedly used in the crime.
During a press conference at Delhi Police Headquarters, Joint Commissioner of Police, Western Range, Suman Goyal, said that on October 2, a PCR call was received at Moti Nagar Police Station regarding a robbery near Zakhira Flyover. Following the information, a police team led by Investigating Officer Sub-Inspector Ankur reached the spot under the supervision of DCP Hareshwar V. Swami. There, they met the complainant, Praveen Malhotra.
The complainant told police that he worked at Madan Lal Plastic in Tikri Kalan, where his job involved collecting cash. According to him, on October 1, he had collected around ₹30 lakh in cash from three different locations on the instructions of his employer.
He alleged that while returning on his motorcycle with the cash, three men riding a black motorcycle stopped him on the way. The alleged robbers snatched the bag containing the cash and also injured him on the chest with a blade.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, FIR No. 423/2026, dated October 2, 2026, was registered at Moti Nagar Police Station under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and an investigation was launched.
From the beginning, the police team noticed certain aspects of the complainant's account that did not appear to match. During the investigation, police examined the condition of his clothes. Although he claimed to have suffered an injury to his chest, there was no corresponding cut on his shirt.
Police then examined CCTV footage from the area and surrounding locations around the time of the alleged incident. The footage did not corroborate the incident described by the complainant. Police also examined his entire route and compared his statements with the available evidence.
During questioning, his statements allegedly began to reveal repeated contradictions. This deepened the police's suspicion that the story surrounding the ₹30 lakh was different from what had initially been reported.
According to police, during sustained questioning, the complainant allegedly admitted that he had fabricated the robbery story with the intention of keeping his employer's money.
The investigation reportedly revealed that he had handed the bag containing the cash to his associate, Praveen alias Prem, near Keshavpuram Metro Station. He allegedly then injured himself on the chest with a razor blade to make it appear that he had been attacked.
According to police, to make the story appear more convincing, he also allegedly damaged and discarded his mobile phone near Peeragarhi Metro Station.
Based on information gathered during the investigation, a police team raided the alleged associate's hideout in Bahadurgarh, Haryana. Police recovered the entire ₹30 lakh in cash along with the bag containing the money.
The motorcycle allegedly used in the incident was also recovered.
Police have arrested Praveen Malhotra, 24, a resident of Paschim Vihar, Delhi, and his alleged associate Praveen alias Prem, 23, a resident of Bahadurgarh, Haryana.
According to police, further investigation is underway, and other aspects related to the incident are also being examined.
In the operation, the Moti Nagar police team examined the complainant's statement on the basis of technical evidence, CCTV footage, inspection of the crime scene and interrogation.
The contradictions that emerged during the investigation helped uncover the alleged fake robbery story, eventually leading the police to the recovery of the entire ₹30 lakh.
The investigation team included Sub-Inspector Ankur, Sub-Inspector Amit, Head Constable Rajender, Head Constable Satbir and Constable Naresh.
The operation was carried out under the direction of the SHO of Moti Nagar Police Station and ACP Punjabi Bagh, while the overall operation was supervised by DCP Western District Hareshwar V. Swami.
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