It was a Rs 1.20 crore heist plotted for love.
At 3.40 am on May 12, a group of thieves broke into the house of a prominent brass trader in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, held him and his family at gunpoint before making off with cash and jewellery worth crores.
The cinematic heist, police said, was ‘masterminded’ by the brass trader’s own daughter, Ariba. Police claimed she helped her boyfriend and his associates break into her house.
The 21-year-old, her partner Arshad Warsi (27), and three other accomplices have been arrested. Investigators have recovered Rs 47.24 lakh in cash, two getaway cars, and four illegal firearms used in the robbery.
The insider signal
The nightmare began just hours after the trader, Mohammad Imran, and his family returned to their double-storey home in Akbar Compound after his youngest daughter’s birthday dinner.
Barely four hours later, the six-member family woke up to suspicious noises, only to be confronted by armed men with their faces concealed behind scarves who proceeded to rob them.
When police arrived to scrub the crime scene for clues, they instantly suspected an inside job: The digitally secured main gate had been remotely unlocked; the thieves used a physical key already in their possession to gain access to the house; the family’s CCTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR) had been ripped out and stolen to erase evidence.
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The breakthrough came when investigators scrutinised the family’s call logs. Ariba had allegedly repeatedly contacted a single phone number immediately before and after the robbery.
That number belonged to Arshad, her boyfriend of five years.
The five accused arrested in the case. (Express Photo)
Police said Ariba and Arshad wanted to get married, but her family was against them. Ariba believed her father disapproved of the relationship because of Arshad’s financial status and caste.
Investigators alleged that she repeatedly urged Arshad to target her own family home whenever large sums of cash were kept there, hoping to elope and live comfortably. About a month earlier, police claimed, she handed over the house keys to Arshad.
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The opportunity arose when Imran recently brought home a substantial amount of cash intended for a land registration.
Police said Ariba passed on the information, explaining the layout and security arrangements of the house. Arshad then assembled his associates, promising them a substantial share of the loot.
On the night of the robbery, police said the accused arrived at the house in two cars and parked them at a distance to avoid suspicion. Ariba, her parents and her two younger brothers and younger sister were in the house at the time.
Around 3.30 am, police claimed, Ariba gave them the signal and remotely unlocked the main gate. Police said the robbers used the key she had earlier provided and got in.
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‘She is taking the blame under pressure’
Ariba’s family, however, has refused to accept her involvement. “She may be taking the blame under pressure…,” said Ariba’s mother, Seema.
“On May 11, she was with us throughout… we’d gone out to celebrate the birthday of my younger daughter… We are trying to understand what happened,” her mother added.
The other arrested accused are Ravi Kumar, 26; Kuldeep, 26; and his relative Nikki, 20. Police said the three men pursued B.Pharm, while Nikki is a student. All four are from Amroha.
Arshad runs a furniture shop, while Kuldeep and Ravi are employed in private jobs. Ariba, meanwhile, had discontinued her studies after failing her intermediate examinations and was pursuing an online beautician course.
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Police said four more persons have also been detained for questioning and efforts are on to recover the remaining looted money.
“We have identified the involvement of 10 people in the case. Six suspects entered the house during the robbery, while three others remained outside. Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining absconding accused,” said Superintendent of Police, Moradabad, Satpal. Police added that none of the arrested accused have a criminal record.
