Atiya Mujeeb
Jammu, May 8: Three men wanted in connection with multiple robbery cases in Delhi were arrested in a joint operation carried out by the Delhi Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police in Kathua district on Thursday evening, officials said.
The accused, identified as Sahil, Anshul and Himanshu, were allegedly involved in several robbery incidents registered in the national capital. Police said a case had earlier been filed against them at North Dwarka police station in Delhi.
According to officials, the trio fled Delhi after the alleged crimes and travelled to Jammu and Kashmir in an attempt to evade arrest. Investigators had been tracking their movements for the past several days.
Police sources said the suspects initially moved towards Sopore after entering Kashmir and later returned towards Kathua. Following intelligence inputs about their movement, security checks were intensified at toll plazas and key points across the region. Details of the suspects’ vehicle were also circulated among police teams stationed in Lakhanpur and Kathua.
A senior police officer said the accused crossed the Nasri area on the Jammu-Srinagar highway early Wednesday morning but managed to avoid interception, reportedly after learning about heightened checking at Lakhanpur.
To prevent the suspects from escaping again, police teams later adopted a different strategy. Officials deliberately reduced visible deployment at the Lakhanpur naka and nearby toll plaza to create an impression that security focus had shifted elsewhere due to another investigation underway in the region.
Believing the route was clear, the accused reportedly headed towards Kathua on Thursday evening, where police teams intercepted them in a carefully coordinated operation.
During the operation, the suspects allegedly attempted to escape and rammed their vehicle into a Delhi Police vehicle. However, police personnel blocked all possible escape routes, including the Bhagthali route, and successfully apprehended them.
Officials described the arrests as the result of close coordination between the Delhi Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
A joint search of the accused and their vehicle was conducted after the arrest, though no weapons or suspicious materials were recovered, police said.
Further investigation into the robbery cases, as well as additional charges related to the attempted escape and damage to police property, will be handled by the Delhi Police.
