4 nabbed for robbing pastry shop owner at knifepoint in Patparganj

The Delhi Police have arrested four men for allegedly robbing a 53-year-old pastry shop owner at knifepoint near a sweets shop in East Delhi’s Patparganj area, an official on Monday said.

The incident took place on June 20 when the victim, Vinod Kumar Sharma, a resident of Noida and owner of a pastry shop in Patparganj, was intercepted by three motorcycle-borne assailants near Bansal Sweets.

The assailants threatened Sharma at knifepoint, assaulted him and snatched his car before fleeing the spot, the police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Abhishek Dhania said four accused — Shane Alam, alias Mazid (25), Prince, alias Sunny (18), Himanshu, alias Gundi (18), and Tanuj (20) — had been taken into custody. All are residents of East Delhi.

“Teams were formed to trace the accused. CCTV footage and call data analysis helped track their movements toward the Sanjay Lake Metro station,” said DCP Dhania. During a search near the station, the four accused attempted to flee but were apprehended after a brief chase.

The accused initially tried to mislead investigators but later confessed to the crime. The police said the stolen car was recovered from Haridwar.

The police said Alam, who works at a salon in Noida, is a Class X dropout with one prior criminal case. Prince, an AC repair assistant, and Himanshu, who is unemployed, had no previous records. Tanuj, a delivery boy, also does not have a criminal background. All four are school dropouts and residents of financially challenged backgrounds.

According to the police, the men admitted they were struggling with financial issues and decided to commit the robbery to make quick money. They planned to sell the stolen vehicle in another state to avoid detection.

Delhi