Ludhiana robbery bid: Robbers reached city 9 days ago, did recce, say police

According to the sources, the robbers were fully prepared for a gunfight as they were carrying arms and ammunition with them

Investigating the robbery attempt at Muthoot Fincorp’s Sundar Nagar office, the police found that the accused had come to Ludhiana on October 21 with intention to execute the crime.

Police outside the Muthoot Fincorp’s Sundar Nagar branch in Ludhiana on Saturday. (Gurpreet Singh/Hindustan Times)

They did recce of the branch as well to ascertain the number of employees, cash and jewellery kept in the strong room.

The police also established a link between the robbers and the perpetrators of a similar robbery bid at Muthoot Finance’s Dugri Road branch on October 16, 2020. All six robbers involved in the crime were from Bihar and had come to Ludhiana to execute robbery, the police said.

After entering the branch, the accused told the staff that they wanted to meet the manager who wore glasses, which showed that they had details of the staffers, the police said. They assumed that they would overpower the staff, one manager, three women employees and a security guard, easily, but their plan was foiled after the security guard shot one of them dead.

According to the sources, the robbers were fully prepared for a gunfight as they were carrying arms and ammunition with them. The police have found a loaded pistol from the possession of the dead robber along with a magazine and bullets in his pockets.

In the last year’s robbery attempt at Muthoot Finance’s Dugri Road office, the police had arrested three accused – Roshan Kumar alias Tatiya, 23; Saurav Kumar, 19, and Kamlesh Kumar, 25, all from Bihar. Their accomplices who had managed to escape were Sushil Kumar, Alok Kumar and Varun of Patna.

At that time, the Model Town police had recovered 30 bullets, five magazines, four mobile phones, three motorcycles, tape rolls, pieces of ropes, nail cutter and two hammers from their possession.

Assistant commissioner of police (North) Dharmpal said the police were investigating to identify the accommodation the accused were staying in after reaching Ludhiana.