East Delhi Police arrested Sadiq Sheikh for allegedly cheating a taxi driver. (Pankaj Rai)
New Delhi: The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of East District Police has arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedly cheating a taxi driver of ₹2 lakh by promising to exchange Saudi riyals for Indian currency. The accused, identified as Sadiq Sheikh, was arrested from Harsh Vihar in northeast Delhi.
Investigators examined footage from nearly 500 CCTV cameras to trace the suspects’ movements and establish their identities. Police said the investigation involved technical surveillance, video analysis and field inquiries.
According to East District DCP Rajiv Kumar Rawal, the complainant, Akhilesh Kumar, works as a taxi driver through app-based platforms. On October 13, a man approached him in Connaught Place, offering to exchange Saudi currency.
After gaining his confidence through an initial transaction, the suspects allegedly persuaded him to bring a larger amount of cash for the exchange.
On October 17, Akhilesh arrived with ₹2 lakh near the Manglam Red Light area. Close to the Press Enclave bus stand, the accused allegedly showed him a bag purportedly containing Saudi riyals and switched it with the bag containing his cash. When the complainant checked the bag, he discovered that it contained newspapers instead of currency notes. The suspects fled with the money.
A case was registered at Madhu Vihar police station on October 18 under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
An AATS team led by Inspector Pramod used CCTV footage, technical surveillance and ground-level investigation to identify the suspects. Sadiq Sheikh was subsequently arrested and handed over to the investigating officer at Madhu Vihar police station for further investigation.
Police stated that the accused had also been linked to an earlier cheating case registered at Preet Vihar police station. Investigators are continuing efforts to establish the roles of other suspected members of the group and recover the money allegedly taken from the taxi driver.
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