Two Spanish nationals are now under the radar of the Delhi Police in a case of illegal graffiti at Yamuna Bank Metro Station. These Spanish citizens briefly visited India in July and have now emerged as prime suspects in the matter. The probe, till now, has revealed that the men allegedly sneaked into the metro depot and defaced walls and a train with graffiti before leaving the country the very next day.

According to a senior police officer, the incident came to light on the morning of July 24, when graffiti was found on the boundary wall of the station and on a train parked inside the Yamuna Bank Metro yard. Now an FIR has been registered at the Yamuna Bank Metro Police Station under provisions of the DMRC Act and the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act for drawing shapes like a triangle and a large dot, etc., over public property.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Metro) Kushal Singh said that the case was registered and further investigation is underway. However, this particular trial will not be a straightforward proceeding because, in spite of the CCTV camera near the yard capturing some movement, the identities of the intruders are still unclear to the police. Additionally, several cameras inside the depot were not functional, complicating the probe.

Investigation till now has established that two men entered the depot by climbing a 15-foot-high wall with a rope at around 1:30 AM on 24th July, after crossing through a jungle stretch. The two intruders spent considerable time painting graffiti inside the depot, first drawing shapes, and then layering them with other colours. It was easier to trace their exit as the men hired an autorickshaw back to a Paharganj hotel.

“The auto was identified, its driver traced, and a statement helped confirm the hotel where the duo had stayed,” said the concerned police personnel to national media.

Investigation Underway

Police also discovered that the suspects were Spanish nationals who had checked into the hotel using their IDs. Records show that they entered India on July 16 and spent a few days in Delhi before travelling to Jaipur on July 18, where they also allegedly painted graffiti at Sultanpur. A similar case has been registered in Jaipur. After their visit to Jaipur city, the duo returned to Delhi on July 21, shifted to another Paharganj hotel, and executed the Yamuna Bank graffiti on July 24, later flying out of India on July 25.

The phone records of the two Spanish nationals also corroborate the investigation data.

“We scanned CDR and IPDRs of mobile numbers active near the metro yard that night. Two local numbers and 24 numbers were traced moving along the same route. One of the numbers was issued on an ID obtained in the Gold Market area,” said the concerned official to national media.

Even though the evidence strongly points to the involvement of the two Spanish nationals, the police said that they are yet to gather material strong enough for the prosecution process to start. “The act appears to have been driven by adventure, thrill and mischief. There are global groups that indulge in such graffiti. We tried to trace online posts or videos for social media validation, but found none,” another official concerned with the matter told national media.

Authorities are considering issuing a lookout circular (LOC) against the two men. The concerned police officer further said that, “We cannot approach the Spanish Embassy directly. A request will be sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. We will take it up with the concerned authorities.”

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