Ghaziabad: Armed robbery on Delhi Meerut Road, ₹10.7 lakh looted from fuel station staff

Two employees were on their way to deposit their station’s earnings of ₹10.7 lakh at a bank in Lohiya Nagar when they were stopped and made to get off their scooter. The armed men fled with the scooter in which cash was kept

Two employees of a fuel station were robbed of ₹10.7 lakh cash, allegedly by three armed men on the Delhi-Meerut Road on Thursday afternoon, senior police officers said, adding that they have formed three teams to investigate the matter.

Police officers interview people near the scene of crime on the Delhi-Meerut Road on Thursday afternoon. (Sakib Ali /HT Photo)

The fuel station is located on the Delhi-Meerut Road near the industrial area and two of its employees, manager Arjun Kumar, 32, and staff Sanjay Kumar, 30, were on their way to deposit their earnings of ₹10.7 lakh at a bank in Lohiya Nagar.

“They left the fuel filling station around 2.30pm on their scooter with the money stowed into the carriage space under the seat. At some distance, a man waved them down and when they slowed down the vehicle, two more men arrived on a motorbike from the rear. They were armed with guns. They asked the two employees to get off the scooter after threatening to shoot them,” said Ratan Prakash Kansal, owner of the fuel filling station.

Kansal said the men snatched the scooter with the cash inside and fled towards the Meerut crossing on the Delhi-Meerut Road.

“Two of the three robbers drove the scooter while a third one drove the bike they had arrived on. My employees shouted for help, but no one came to their aid. They later informed me and I called the police. The Delhi-Meerut Road is a busy stretch and a daytime robbery there is a matter of concern,” Kansal said.

Police said that they have taken a complaint from the fuel station owner and registered a case of robbery at Sihani Gate police station.

“The three robbers fled with the scooter containing ₹10.7 lakh cash while the employees were on the way to the bank. They had travelled about 200 metres from the fuel station when they were intercepted by the robbers. One robber asked them to stop while two of his accomplices arrived there on a bike. We inspected the scene of crime and have formed three teams to investigate the matter,” said Rajesh Kumar, deputy commissioner of police, city.