A 38-year-old woman, who disguised herself as a courier agent to rob her neighbour, was arrested in Delhi’s Dwarka area, the police said, adding that she was employed in the Civil Defence department but was currently unemployed.

The police have also recovered a courier bag, one toy gun, hand gloves, two ropes, one bag, and a helmet used in committing the crime from her possession.

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According to the police, on May 23, a complaint was received at the Chhawla police station at around 11:30 a.m. regarding an attempted robbery.

The victim reported that while she was at home, a person disguised as a courier agent arrived and requested a pen to sign the delivery paper.

As the victim went inside her house to fetch the pen, the accused followed her and suddenly grabbed her.

“The attacker began striking her multiple times with a toy pistol, causing her face to bleed. The attacker had covered her face with a towel, wore a helmet, and had gloves on. The victim started shouting for help, which prompted neighbours to arrive, causing the assailant to flee the scene,” said a senior police officer.

The police team collected intelligence and reviewed CCTV footage from Somesh Vihar to Chhawla to identify the suspect.

“However, on May 24, a police team received information that the criminal was hiding in a vacant house in Somesh Vihar. Based on the CCTV footage, the accused, Rekha, was arrested,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh.

During questioning, Rekha revealed that she had previously worked in the Civil Defence department but was unemployed and struggling to manage her household expenses and rent.

To earn money quickly, she devised a plan to rob her wealthy neighbour, Chandra Kanta, who lived alone during the day.

Rekha planned to murder Chandra Kanta and steal a significant amount of money and jewellery.

On May 23, Rekha disguised herself as a courier agent, covering her face and head with a cloth and helmet.

“She (Rekha) arrived at Chandra Kanta’s house around 11 a.m. and rang the doorbell. When Chandra Kanta opened the door, Rekha asked for a pen. As Chandra Kanta went inside her house to get the pen, Rekha followed her and started hitting her several times with the toy pistol,” the DCP added.

Chandra Kanta screamed for help, causing Rekha to flee, fearing being caught.

“Rekha then hid in a vacant house, changed her dress on the stairs of a neighbouring house, and left the items used in the crime there before returning home,” the DCP said.

Later, she returned to Chandra Kanta’s house, mingled with the people, and gathered information about the incident to avoid suspicion.

“Rekha confessed that she committed the crime to manage her household expenses by robbing her wealthy neighbour, Chandra Kanta, who lived alone during the day,” the DCP added.