Aspiring singer held for ₹90-lakh robbery

NEWDELHI: An aspiring singer who used to work at a jewellery showroom before he was sacked has been arrested for being the alleged mastermind of a ₹90-lakh robbery at the shop earlier this year, police said on Saturday.

The accused used to sing at religious functions and aspired to be a singer in Bollywood, he also wished to participate in reality shows, said Shibesh Singh, DCP (south-west).

Needing money to realise his dreams, Neeraj, whose only first name was shared by police, had started working at the jewellery showroom in west Delhi in 2011. “But over a period of time, he entered into a relationship with a female colleague. When the showroom owner felt that his work was getting affected, he fired Neeraj,” said Singh. He allegedly held a grudge against the showroom owner for the sacking, which he felt shattered his singing dreams, the DCP said.

“Neeraj did not want to be at the scene of the crime, so he roped in three friends to execute the robbery,” the DCP added. One of those robbers was another sacked and disgruntled employee of the same showroom.

The robbers struck on June 29 when one of the employees of the jeweller was carrying ₹90 lakh cash in a bag to deposit in a bank. They attacked him and took the money, said the DCP.

The three robbers were arrested soon after, but Neeraj allegedly kept changing his hideouts and identity. A tip-off on Friday finally led to his arrest from Vipin Nagar, police said.