MCOCA invoked against Irani gang leader after Chandni Chowk cash collector robbed

The Delhi Police in June 2026 invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Nasir Hafeez Khan, the 48-year-old alleged kingpin of the "Irani gang" who targeted local cash collectors and elderly residents, including an employee of a Chandni Chowk businessman who was robbed of Rs 18 lakh.

The gang, which expanded its operations from South India to Delhi, specialized in impersonating police officers to execute elaborate thefts. Khan, known in Old Delhi circles as 'Irani', was arrested on January 3, 2026, by the DBG Road police station team in connection with a major robbery targeting a local business.

On October 23, 2025, Ashish Mishra, a 19-year-old cash collector from Pahadi Dhiraj, was instructed by his employer’s son, Vasu, to come to Chandni Chowk. Mishra worked for Praveen Gupta, a businessman with shops in Chandni Chowk and Karol Bagh. Mishra and another employee, Mohammad, then travelled to Karol Bagh to collect cash.

After collecting Rs 18 lakh near a store, Mishra was walking near a church on DBG Road when he was stopped by two men on a bike. The men claimed to be from the Crime Branch and demanded to check his bag. Two more men soon arrived on a motorcycle, slapped Mishra, and fled with the cash bag towards Anand Parbat.

According to the police, this was part of a broader pattern of organized thefts in the area. In August 2025, 76-year-old Shanti Bajaj was targeted in nearby Prasad Nagar by three men on a bike who used the same impersonation tactic to steal her gold jewellery.

DCP (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh stated that Khan had established a base in Delhi in 2014 after marrying a woman from Daryaganj. Khan faces more than 38 criminal cases across Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, and other states, and was previously booked under MCOCA in Mumbai. Following the October 2025 robbery, Khan had fled to Nagpur and Ajmer to commit further thefts before his arrest.