Two Spanish nationals who briefly visited India in July have emerged as prime suspects in a case of illegal graffiti at Yamuna Bank metro station, Delhi Police have found. The probe has revealed that the men allegedly sneaked into the metro depot and defaced walls and a train with graffiti before leaving the country the next day.
A senior police officer said the incident came to light on the morning of July 24, when drawings – a few shapes like triangle, a large dot etc – were found on the boundary wall of the station and on a train parked inside the Yamuna Bank metro yard. An FIR was registered at the Yamuna Bank Metro Police Station under provisions of the DMRC Act and the Delhi Police Defacement of Property Act.
Deputy commissioner of police (Metro) Kushal Pal Singh said that the case was registered, adding, “Further investigation is underway.”
The trail, however, was not straightforward. CCTV cameras near the yard captured some movement but the identities of the intruders were unclear, and several cameras inside the depot were not functional, complicating the probe.
Investigators later established that two men had entered the depot by climbing a 15-foot-high wall with a rope after crossing through a jungle stretch. They entered around 1.30am on July 24 and spent considerable time painting graffiti – first drawing shapes and then layering them with another colour – before leaving.
Tracing their exit proved more fruitful. The men hired an auto-rickshaw back to a Paharganj hotel. “The auto was identified, its driver traced, and his statement helped confirm the hotel where the duo had stayed,” the officer said.
Police soon discovered that the suspects were Spanish nationals who had checked into the hotel using their IDs. Records showed they had entered India on July 16 and spent a few days in Delhi before travelling to Jaipur on July 18, where they allegedly painted similar graffiti at Sultanpur. A case was registered there too. The duo returned to Delhi on July 21, shifted to another Paharganj hotel, and executed the Yamuna Bank graffiti on July 24. They flew out of India on July 25.
The probe was further corroborated through phone data.
“We scanned CDRs and IPDRs of mobile numbers active near the metro yard that night. Two local and two foreign numbers were tracked moving along the same route. One of the numbers was issued on an ID obtained in the Gol Market area,” the officer said.
While the evidence strongly points to their involvement, police said they are yet to gather material strong enough for prosecution. “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,” a third officer said.
Authorities are now considering issuing a Look Out Circular (LOC) against the two men. “We cannot approach the Spanish Embassy directly. A request will be sent to the Union ministry of home affairs, which will take it up with the concerned authorities,” the officer added.