Delhi: Two who threatened and robbed people using monkeys held
Two men were arrested for allegedly using monkeys to threaten, rob people in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar area, police said on Friday. The accused duo, Balwan Nath (26) and Vikram Nath (23), were near the Chirag Delhi bus stand with their two monkeys when the police team nabbed them on Thursday, it said. The monkeys have been deposited with Wildlife SOS center, said police.
Accused had caught the monkeys from the Tughlakabad Fort jungle
The accused, who are residents of Okhla Mor in the city, along with their third associate, Ajay used monkeys to threaten people and rob them of their valuables, police said, adding efforts are being taken to catch hold of absconding Ajay. The accused men caught the monkeys from the Tughlakabad Fort jungle around three months ago. The matter was revealed on March 2.
Advocate who was robbed of Rs, 6,000 lodged a report
An advocate from Khirki Extension reported that three men carrying monkeys, surrounded and forcefully robbed Rs. 6,000 from him. When the lawyer was sitting in an auto-rickshaw, the duo made monkeys sit inside the vehicle, one in the front and the other at the back seat, and demanded money from him. When he took out his wallet, the duo robbed him and escaped.
A dedicated team was constituted to nab the culprits
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, a case was registered under Indian Penal Code Sections 392 (punishment for robbery) and 34 (acts are done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) at Malviya Nagar police station. "Since it was a peculiar incident involving monkeys, a dedicated team was constituted to nab the culprits," Thakur said.
Accused being interrogated to learn about other loots
Further, relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 were added against the accused in the case, he said. The arrested accused are being further interrogated for their other involvements if any, police said. The team scanned through several CCTV footage and conducted raids in and around Delhi based on inputs from sources and informers, the officer said.
Duo confessed to the crime; third accused is absconding
"On Thursday, our team got a tip-off that two men with monkeys were present at Chirag Delhi bus stand who had committed the robbery earlier and could commit further thefts. We acted upon the information and apprehended them along with the two monkeys," the officer said. During interrogation, the duo confessed to their involvement, along with their associate Ajay who is absconding, he said.
