Two robbery suspects killed in Ghaziabad encounter after highway heist

Police said that late Tuesday night they received information that four suspects were travelling in a car near Wave City and attempted to intercept them around 10pm.

Two men accused in the ₹27-lakh cash van robbery on National Highway-9 in Ghaziabad earlier this month were killed in a police encounter near Wave City late Tuesday night after they allegedly opened fire on a police team, officials said.

Visuals from the site of the encounter. (Sakib Ali/ HT Photo)

According to the police, the robbery took place on the afternoon of May 6 near Bagu, adjacent to Crossings Republik Township on National Highway-9. The robbery involved six accused. Two of them — Mohammad Kaif, 20, and Mohammad Rizwan, 23 — were arrested on Monday, and ₹8.6 lakh was recovered.

The accused allegedly held the driver of the cash-filling van at gunpoint while the vehicle was parked near the highway carrying ₹27 lakh. Police said the suspects fired a shot in the air before fleeing with the van and later abandoned it around 15km away on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Naifal.

The accused allegedly escaped in a Baleno car that was following the van.

Police said that late Tuesday night they received information that four suspects were travelling in a car near Wave City and attempted to intercept them around 10pm.

“But they fired multiple rounds at the police, injuring a sub-inspector and two constables. Other shots hit the bulletproof jackets of two inspectors. The car driver lost balance, stopping the car in a field. The suspects yet again opened fire. Thereafter, the police opened retaliatory fire, injuring two suspects; two others fled the spot. The injured were rushed to a hospital but succumbed late night during treatment. ₹9 lakh and other belongings were recovered, and the car was seized,” deputy commissioner of police (city) Dhawal Jaiswal told HT on Wednesday.

The deceased were identified as Zubair Ahmad, 24, and Sameer Khan, 23, both residents of Vijay Nagar in Ghaziabad.

“Two suspects were arrested on Monday while others were absconding. The police had announced a reward of ₹1 lakh each for their arrest. Several suspects were traced in a car late Tuesday night near Wave City, and they were signaled to stop, but they resorted to indiscriminate firing at the police. Later, the police opened retaliatory fire during the late Tuesday night incident. Two suspects were injured, and they also told the names of two remaining suspects,” police commissioner J Ravinder Goud said in a video-recorded statement issued by Ghaziabad police late Tuesday night.

Following the arrest of the first two accused on Monday, police claimed that Zubair, who ran a small wood-products shop, was the alleged mastermind behind the robbery and had planned it over the past five months after watching robbery-related web series.

Police said he allegedly roped in friends, most of whom worked as daily wagers or held small-time jobs. Officials added that none of the accused had any previous criminal record and were aged between 20 and 25 years.

Investigators further said the group had allegedly been tracking the movement of the cash van since March and had closely observed the routine followed by van staff while refilling ATMs.