Rs 5.25cr looted in ATM van heist
In a daring daylight robbery in the city, armed robbers decamped with an ATM van carrying around Rs 5.25 crores after waylaying the vehicle in Defence Colony, south Delhi, on Friday. The cash van was later found abandoned a few kilometres away.
According to an eyewitness, four people in a Hyundai Verna car intercepted a Maruti Eeco van carrying cash near the Bharat Petroleum petrol pump in Defence Colony. The robbers dragged the driver out of the van at gunpoint. When one of the two guards resisted, he was shot.
The guard, Munna Singh, 40, was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where he succumbed to the injuries at around 9 pm.
The cash had been collected from ICICI Hauz Khaz branch by the staff of Premier Shield Pvt Ltd, an agency engaged by various banks to replenish their ATMs, and was being taken to Lajpat Nagar when it was waylaid.
The van driver had taken the service lane due to heavy traffic on the Lajpat Nagar flyover at about 1 pm.
The robbers were already there in their Verna car in the lane. As they saw the van coming, they took a U-turn, intercepted it, shot at the security guard and fled with the van.
The Verna car they left behind was found to be a stolen one.
The cash van was found abandoned in Hauz Rani at around 3 pm.
The brazen robbery on a busy road in Defence Colony D-Block area was over in a few minutes, eyewitnesses said.
The police rushed to the spot on receiving a call. Senior officials, including JCP (southwest) Vivek Gogia, rushed to the spot. Wireless messages were flashed across all districts to be on the lookout for the robbers.
The police said that the robbers might have escaped in another vehicle, which shows that the robbery was executed in a well-planned manner.
A massive manhunt has been launched to trace the robbers. Munni Singh, 45, Ajab Singh (both guards), Ashok and driver Anil, were in the cash van when the incident happened.
“The forensic team visited the spot and took samples,” said JCP (southwest) Vivek Gogia.
“Seven police teams have been sent on a hunt to Khirki village in Hauz Rani to apprehend the accused,” he added.
The police has registered a case of robbery and murder.
The police is questioning one Saleem, a resident of Okhla Phase 1, the owner of the cash van for leads.
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