Rs 51 lakh robbery: Driver’s wife held

Four days after the driver of a Maruti Eeco car carrying cash meant to replenish ATMs fled with R51 lakh, the northwest district police have arrested his wife and recovered Rs 47 lakh of the total stolen money.

Four days after the driver of a Maruti Eeco car carrying cash meant to replenish ATMs fled with Rs 51 lakh, the northwest district police have arrested his wife and recovered Rs 47 lakh of the total stolen money.

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The accused driver, Om Pal, is still absconding. He had previously been involved in several cases of robbery, snatching and thefts in Delhi-NCR. His wife Geeta, 30, was arrested from their house in outer Delhi’s Narela, which they had taken on rent 10 days prior to the crime.

Police said Pal had joined the company only eight days before the robbery took place and that the company had not got him verified from the police.

Pal had reportedly planned the robbery around two weeks ago and his joining a cash replenishment company was part of the plan.

P Karunakaran, deputy commissioner of police (northwest), said Geeta was arrested after investigation revealed that she had an account in Muthoot Finance Gold Loan’s office in Durgapuri and that she will visit the office on Monday.

“Accordingly, a trap was laid and Geeta was apprehended when she arrived there. During interrogation, she disclosed that her husband was a notorious criminal and that the couple kept changing houses to evade police surveillance,” he added.

Pal, Karunakaran said, knew how to drive and managed to get a job as a driver in Logi Cash Solution Pvt Ltd, located at Jhandewalan, which replenished cash from banks to various ATMs in Delhi.

“Pal offered sweets laced with sedatives to his three colleagues — Yogesh and Hemant, custodians of Rs 51 lakh, and the security guard Brajesh in the Subzi Mandi area. The three fell unconscious by the time the van reached Kirori Mal College in North Campus to replenish cash at the Oriental Bank of Commerce ATM. He abandoned the van near Jahangirpuri Metro station and fled with the money,” said Karunakaran, adding the three victims were found unconscious in the van when the police reached the spot.