Active cellphones lead to 3 arrests in cash van heist
The Southeast Delhi Police and the Special Cell have arrested three persons in connection with the cash van heist that took place in Alaknanda in Southeast Delhi on January 28.
The Southeast Delhi Police and the Special Cell have arrested three persons in connection with the cash van heist that took place in Alaknanda in Southeast Delhi on January 28.
The driver and the security gunman allegedly fled with Rs 67.5 lakh in cash. Police said the accused took three months to chalk out a meticulous plan that they were confident was ‘fool-proof’. Starting from scrutinising different locations to the exact point from where they would commit the heist, they had planned it out all. But they made one mistake — the accused forgot to switch off their cellphones.
The plan
Police said there are five people involved in the case. All the accused in the case are allegedly relatives and hatched the plan way back in November. They are all residents of Etah in Uttar Pradesh and nearby areas. Pramod one of the accused, who is still absconding, and Arun Singh, who was the first one to be arrested by the police, have been working with different security agencies in the Capital.
“Both knew about that when a cash van carries the maximum amount of money and when it is the most vulnerable to a heist,” said a senior police officer. The police have arrested the gunman Sandeep Kumar (24), driver Ram Kumar (20) in the case. Police added that they also knew that Scientific Security Management Private Limited cash van did not have Global Positioning System (GPS) in the particular cash van. “Sandeep and Ram joined the security agency in November and December using fake documents. The driving and the gun licence they produced were fake,” said RS Krishnia, joint commissioner of police (Special Cell).
Two custodians along with the driver and the gunman had on January 28 took R97 lakh with them and loaded some money in two ATMs. The duo fled with the cash in the van from outside Alaknanda ATM after leaving his gun with the guard of the facility. “They chose the ATM in Alaknanda as the vehicle could not be parked near the ATM,” he added.
The escapade
Once they made away with the money it was driver Ram Kumar who fled with the entire amount. “Sanjeev went back to Etah by bus. Later the three joined him along with the cash in a stolen Tata Sumo car. They then broke open the box and filled the cash in three bags,” added the police officer. In Etah they divided R30, 000 among themselves and then dispersed. But they forgot to switch off their cellphones and this led to the arrest.
Fake papers
Police said the security agency did not check the antecedents of the accused properly. “Both had fake identification papers, they even made a fake gun license and a fake stamp to attest it. But the security agency never checked them,” said the officer, adding that police are going to question the security agency as well.