New Delhi, June 16: Baldev Singh was never known to move without his firearm. On Monday, the 54-year-old Rajputana Rifles veteran who worked as the security in-charge at a petrol pump, was shot dead by three robbers who made away with Rs 8.5 lakh that he was to deposit at a nearby bank.
Singh, who retired as a junior commissioned officer of the Indian Army in 1999, had decided against taking his gun along as two other employees were with him and the bank was barely 30m from the petrol pump in Yamuna Vihar, north-east Delhi. None of them was armed. “He fought during the Kargil war, and now this,” said Baljeet Kaur, the youngest of Singh’s three children.
The entire operation barely lasted two minutes, said Amrish (24) who accompanied Singh. Around 10am, Singh stepped out of the petrol pump collection centre at the B and C Block Road in Yamuna Vihar, barely a stone’s throw from the DTC bus depot. He, along with two staffers, was to deposit the collection money at the bank across the road. “We were ready to cross the road when I noticed a man with his face covered with a hankerchief standing close to the bank entrance. He raised his hand and a red Pulsar pulled up right next to us.
The pillion rider first fired in the air, then shot at Singh,” said Amrish. “The bullet hit him in the chest and he fell.
The three men picked up the cash bag from Singh’s hand and fled.” Amrish was some distance behind Singh while the other staffer, Rakesh (28), ducked for cover.
The firing raised alarm and employees from the petrol pump and DTC depot workers gave chase. One of the robbers opened fire again and then fled. Singh, meanwhile, was taken to Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital where he was declared brought dead. The Bhajanpura police have registered a case of murder and snatching.
Several incidents of snatching outside banks have been reported in Preet Vihar, Patparganj and Uttam Nagar over the past month but none has been solved so far. “The modus operandi employed in Yamuna Vihar is the same as that used in the two east Delhi snatchings. Both took place on a Monday, and cash supply was in abundance. However, the weapon used to murder a security guard at Patparjang was different from the one used on Monday,” said joint commissioner (New Delhi range) Dharmender Kumar. “However, we are not ruling out the possibility of the same gang being involved in these crimes.”
Monday’s incident took place near the Yamuna Vihar police picket where two constables were allegedly present. “Since there is a police barricade within 25m of the crime spot, we expected the two police constables to help. But, they were not there on Monday as a result of which the robbers fled,” said Shailendra Singh, a supervisor at the petrol pump who shared living quarters with Baldev Singh. JCP Kumar, however, denied the claims. “The police picket is situated 100m from the spot. The cops had no vehicles with them and hence could not give chase,” he said.
“There are more than 26 staffers here. We are questioning them. We are also checking the antecedents of local criminals who may have been released from jail recently. Four special teams have been specifically assigned this job,” said S S Yadav, DCP, northeast.
Singh is survived by two daughters and a son, all of whom live in Rampur. The body was handed over to them after post mortem. “Father had been living alone in Delhi for the past nine years. He would never move without men and always carried his firearm,” said a shocked Baljeet Kaur, who is preparing for the civil services exam. “He always ensured that he carried the cash in different bags and at different timings to avoid being followed. Yet, he is no more.”
—Agencies–