A 26-year-old social media influencer and her two friends were arrested from Goa for allegedly snatching USD 3,300 from a man in south Delhi, police said on Thursday.
The accused used the money to stay in five-star hotels in Goa and play poker in casinos, they said.
The media influencer have been identified as Amrita Sethi, a resident of Rajouri Garden, and her associates Akshit Jhamb (25), a resident of Tilak Nagar, and Kushaal, police said.
On November 5, a complaint was lodged at Hauz Khas police station where a man named Manoj Sood stated that he was instructed by his boss to go and give USD 3,300 to a client and take back Rs 2,45,340 in exchange, a senior police officer said.
The complainant spoke to the client (Sethi) who asked him to come at Panchsheel Park. Sood reached there and met Sethi and Jhamb who asked him to sit inside their car, police said.
They asked the complainant to give them the US Dollars but Sood refused and asked for the exchange money, following which the accused went to an ATM pretending to withdraw cash. During that time, the complainant came out of the car, the officer said.
The accused asked him to at least show them the US Dollars. When the victim showed them the foreign currency, the accused snatched the bag and fled from the spot in their car, police said.
Thereafter, a case was registered under sections 356 (Assault or criminal force in attempt to commit theft of property carried by a person), 379 (Punishment for theft) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, police said.
"During investigation, the CCTV footage of the place of the incident was analysed. As per the footage, the registration number of the vehicle was identified.
"The vehicle was found registered to a man named Ravinder Nath Rakheja. He revealed that his son Kushaal and his friends Akshit and Amrita had borrowed the car," Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur said.
The accused persons were identified and through technical surveillance, they were located in Goa. The Goa Police assisted their Delhi counterparts and the accused were apprehended on Wednesday, they said.
The accused were produced in a Goa Court and a three-day transit remand was obtained. They are being brought to the national capital and will reach here on Friday, police said.
Further investigation and efforts to recover the cash is underway, police added.
