Ludhiana: ₹15-lakh robbery, scrap dealer’s driver among 3 held within hours in Khanna

Police say the driver orchestrated the loot with his two aides and tipped them of his employer’s location after he withdrew cash from bank

Three hours after ₹15 lakh was looted from a scrap dealer in Khanna, police arrested three men, including the victim’s driver, who allegedly tipped off two accomplices about the cash and helped orchestrate the robbery.

The accused in police custody in Ludhiana on Thursday. The police recovered the stolen cash and vehicle from them. (HT Photo)

The arrested accused have been identified as driver Subhir Sukhi, Manpreet Singh, alias Gopi of Ravidas Mohalla in Amloh, and Jatinder Sing, alias Kaka of Lakha Singh Wala village in Amloh, both in Fatehgarh Sahib district. Police said Sukhi had tipped the two accused after his employer withdrew cash from a State Bank of India branch in Khanna.

Khanna superintendent of police Rajesh Yadav said the robbery took place around 1 pm on Thursday, when scrap dealer Karan Banda, a resident of Mandi Gobindgarh, was returning in his Hyundai Venue after withdrawing ₹15 lakh from the bank.

According to Banda’s complaint, Sukhi had stepped out of the vehicle to buy a cigarette from a nearby shop when two men, posing as Nihangs, approached the car. One of them took the driver’s seat while the other got into the rear seat and caught Banda by the neck.

Police teams were immediately mobilised and a city-wide search was launched. Investigators examined CCTV footage and used technical surveillance and human intelligence to trace the suspects. Yadav said the two alleged robbers were eventually traced within three hours to an abandoned building on the Payal-Beeja Road, where they were reportedly dividing the stolen cash.

“On seeing police teams, the duo jumped from the building in an attempt to escape and sustained injuries to their legs. They were then arrested and taken to hospital,” the superintendent of police said, adding that the stolen ₹15 lakh, the vehicle and a country-made pistol were recovered from the accused.

Yadav said Sukhi’s alleged involvement emerged during the investigation. “During the investigation, the role of driver Subhir Sukhi surfaced as the person who had tipped off the duo helped orchestrate the robbery,” the superintendent of police added.

An FIR has been registered at City Khanna police station under Section 309(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act, Yadav said.

Police said Manpreet Singh and Jatinder Singh have several criminal cases registered against them, including those related to robbery, theft, assault, criminal conspiracy and drug peddling.

Further investigation is underway, they said.