Dr Aakash Lakhtakia had come from Churu in Rajasthan to Delhi to attend the wedding ceremony of his sister.
A cab driver, who decamped with cash and valuables worth over Rs 50 lakh from a wedding last week, was arrested on Tuesday. Gurwinder Singh, 36, was hired to ferry people to and from a wedding ceremony, which was being held at the Ashok Hotel in the high-security Pancharipuri area. Singh had hidden the loot in the woofer of a music system at his home.
Dr Aakash Lakhtakia had come from Churu in Rajasthan to Delhi to attend the wedding ceremony of his sister. The ceremony was scheduled to be held at the banquet hall of the hotel. Lakhtakia was carrying the jewellery, cash, and other valuable items in a bag, to be used during the ceremony.
When the family members reached the hotel, they forgot the bag in the boot of the car. After the wedding was solemnised, Lakhtakia took the same car and headed to Innova hotel, where other family members were staying. It was then that he realised that the bag was missing.
He immediately informed the police and a case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A team led by Station House Officer (SHO) of Pancharipuri police station then began the investigation.
The police team checked the footage of CCTV cameras installed at the hotel and the neighbouring areas, and spotted another car in the vicinity, and its driver. On further enquiry, it was revealed that the second car was being used by one of the guests at the hotel. The cars had been hired from the General Taxi stand in Ashok Vihar.
The driver was soon identified and was detained for interrogation on April 30. He told the police that he was present at the hotel on the day of the incident and had noticed that the boot of another car was unlocked. He opened it to find the bag with cash and jewellery in it. He took the bag and fled the spot within minutes.
He also confessed that he had hidden the jewellery in a woofer at his house. On his instance, the valuables were recovered and he was placed under arrest.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Braja Kishore Singh said: "Gurwinder is a school drop out. He was arrested in 2015 in connection with a case registered at the Sarai Rohilla police station, under Sections 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He is a resident of Shastri Nagar." The officer further said that Gurwinder was arrested from the General Taxi Stand in Ashok Vihar, and jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh and nearly Rs 3.5 lakh in cash were recovered from his possession.
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