Man cooks up robbery story to gain wife's money

A man has been booked for allegedly placing a fake robbery call to grab his wife’s money in west Delhi’s Paschim Vihar area, officials said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as Raman Bhola, a resident of Paschim Vihar, they said, adding that he was under debt.

On Wednesday, police got information regarding robbery of Rs 2 lakh by two unidentified suspects. Police reached the spot and the caller was contacted who said that he had gone to Balaji Action hospital.

Police reached there and met Bhola who claimed that he had withdrawn Rs 2 lakh from a bank and was going his home. He stopped to fetch his water bottle from his car parked near his house, a senior police officer said.

One person came there and enquired about an address. Meanwhile, someone hit him from behind due to which he fell on the ground and became unconscious, the officer said, adding that when he got up, his bag containing cash was found missing.

He was continuously changing his statements and alleged that two unidentified bike-borne suspects snatched his bag, police said.

Police scanned the footage of CCTV cameras installed along the entire route thoroughly and found that nothing such took place as was being claimed by the complainant.

He was shown all the CCTV footage, following which he confessed that he had concocted this story. He was booked under section 182 (false information with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) of the Indian Penal Code for making the fake call, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sameer Sharma said.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that he worked as a delivery agent for e-commerce websites and used to take huge orders for the delivery of the items, the DCP said.

He incurred huge loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and came under debt. He needed money to pay off his dues. His wife, a private school teacher who also gives home tuitions, had saved Rs 8 lakh to buy a plot. Bhola and his wife often fought over financial issues, police said.

The accused decided to gain her money through illicit means to pay off his debt. He concocted the story and made a fake robbery call to the police.

The money was recovered from his possession which was kept hidden in his car, police said.

Further investigation is underway, they added.