Man stages robbery to escape debt held

New Delhi, Apr 11 (PTI) The Delhi Police has arrested a man who allegedly faked a robbery of Rs 2 lakh in an attempt to avoid repaying loans, an official said on Friday.
     The accused, identified as Raj Kumar (43), a resident of Budh Vihar, was caught after discrepancies emerged in his complaint.
     Raj Kumar initially called police on April 11, claiming that three unidentified men on a motorcycle intercepted his auto-rickshaw at gunpoint on the Narela-Bawana Flyover. He alleged the men smashed the windshield, robbed him of Rs 2 lakh and his mobile phone, and fled, police said.
     He said the money was collected on behalf of his nephew from a man named Sonu.
     A team launched an immediate investigation. However, when officers visited the scene and examined CCTV footage and other evidence, the story didn't add up.
     "Under sustained interrogation, Raj Kumar confessed to staging the robbery. He had taken friendly loans to invest in his nephew's ventures but found himself unable to repay his lenders," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Nidhin Valsan said.
     To escape the pressure, he cooked up the fake robbery story, hoping that lodging a police complaint would help him avoid repayment.
     Based on his confession, police recovered Rs 1.99 lakh in cash and a mobile phone hidden inside a base tube within his auto-rickshaw, said the DCP.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)