Greater Noida: Armed gang kills two liquor firm employees, flees with Rs 8 lakh

The victims of the attack were employees of a liquor firm who had come to collect cash from a wine shop at Ecotech-3 area.

An armed gang shot dead two people and injured another before decamping with nearly Rs 8 lakh at Greater Noida’s Ecotech-3 area on Wednesday night.

Two men were shot dead, and one has been hospitalised with bullet injuries. (File photo)

The victims of the attack were employees of a liquor firm who had come to collect cash from a neighbourhood wine shop in a Mahindra Marshal vehicle, police said. The deceased were identified as Om Prakash (40), a driver hailing from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, and Chander Bahadur (42), a Nepalese security guard. Police said Ambuj, also a security guard, suffered two bullet injuries and is recuperating at Kailash hospital.

All the three belonged to Accurate Foods and Beverages Private Ltd, a firm owned by liquor baron Ponty Chadha, who was killed in Delhi on November 17, 2012.

Gautambudh Nagar superintendent of police (rural) Suniti said the three collected cash from six liquor vends across Greater Noida and had just reached another outlet in Chauganpur village around 9 pm when four people in a red Maruti Brezza overtook them and began firing indiscriminately. Both Prakash and Bahadur, who were sitting in front, died on the spot.

The attackers fled with the money they were carrying by the time police made an appearance. “The cash box in the vehicle contained nearly Rs 7-8 lakh,” a police officer said.

An FIR has been registered against unknown assailants at the Ecotech-3 police station, and an investigation is on. “We will try to procure CCTV footage, if any, to identify the attackers,” said Suniti.