Delhi: Rs. 1.5cr stolen, guard killed in ATM heist

In a daring daylight robbery, Rs 1.5 crore was looted Saturday from a cash van in Kamla Nagar and a security guard was shot dead. The incident took place when the vehicle arrived near an ATM booth of a private bank.

In a daring daylight heist, two men on a motorcycle gunned down a security guard and robbed Rs 1.5 crore from an ATM kiosk in north Delhi's busy Kamla Nagar on Saturday.

The incident took place at around 11am when custodians of a van belonging to a private cash replenishment firm were refilling money into the Citibank ATM, said joint commissioner of police Sandeep Goel.

“Two men on a bike arrived and shot the security guard twice in his head. They then picked up a bag containing Rs 1.5 crore from inside the kiosk and fled brandishing their weapons,” said a senior police officer.

Kamla Nagar is an area adjacent to the University of Delhi’s main campus and is largely occupied by students.

Police-inspect-the-scene-of-crime-after-miscreants-looted--a-cash-van-outside-Citi-Bank-s-ATM-in-Kamla-Nagar-area-Photo-courtesy-ANI-news

Earlier this week, unidentified men hauled off a Union Bank of India cash machine from west Delhi’s Narela and also snatched the CCTV cameras installed in the booth.

The injured security guard, Satinder Singh, was taken to a nearby hospital where he died at around 3.30pm, sources said.

“He was not breathing and his blood pressure was low. He was revived artificially and his blood pressure brought up. But after the CT scan and other investigations, he collapsed again and finally could not be revived,” said Dr Siddharth Ramji, medical superintendent of Lok Nayak hospital.

Police have lodged a case including charges of attempt to murder, armed robbery and sections of the Arms Act while CCTV footage from the area is being scanned to identify the criminals.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the security guard employed by our service provider, who lost his life in this tragic incident. We will cooperate fully with the law enforcement authorities in their efforts to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice," a Citibank spokesperson told HT.

Several teams led by DCP Madhur Verma are investigating the case under the overall supervision of special CP Deepak Mishra, sources said.

In 2012, five armed robbers made off with a private bank’s cash van carrying Rs 5.25 crore in south Delhi’s Defence Colony at around 1.45pm on September 28, after intercepting the vehicle and shooting at the guard.

Robbers loot Rs 1.5 crore from cash van outside ATM in Delhi