Armed men loot ₹17 Lakh from cash pick-up van in Gurugram

Four men, two of whom were armed, allegedly robbed ₹17 lakh from the driver of a private cash management services company on Monday afternoon. The incident took place on the road across the parking near Sector 29 market, which is around 1.5 kilometres from the Sector 29 police station. The private company offers services, including transporting cash from clients to the banks.

Police said the driver and the cashier had left from the company’s office at Jhandewalan in Delhi around 10am in the cash pick-up van, an Eeco. After collecting cash from Dwarka, Najafgarh, Nawada in Delhi and Sector 14 in Gurugram, the van had stopped near Sector 29 market to collect cash from another client when the incident took place.

The police said that around 1.30 pm, the cashier went to the market to collect cash as the driver waited in the car. Out of the total amount collected during the day, about ₹17 lakh cash was in the bag, which was kept on the co-driver’s seat.

In the police complaint, the driver, said that the moment the cashier went to the market, a silver-coloured Alto car, in which four men were seated, stopped near the pick-up van. “Three men, whose faces were covered, walked towards the van. One of them hit the front windshield with a brick and another man held a gun against my head. The third suspect held a knife to my waist. The person who had hit the brick opened the car from the co-driver’s side and took the cash bag. He also took the van’s key,” the driver and complainant stated.

He added that all three suspects sat in their car and fled, after which he borrowed a cellphone from a passerby and called the police control room. In the meantime, the cashier returned and was told about the theft.

Assistant commissioner of police (crime) Shamsher Singh later told mediapersons that the police had registered a case and efforts were on to identify the suspects.

The police said they were investigating if the suspects had done a reconnaissance of the area and were aware of the cash pick-up van’s route. Police officials and investigators from crime branch were checking CCTV cameras from the market for footage to find clues.

A case was registered under sections 379 B (snatching) and 34 (common intention) and relevant sections of The Arms Act at sector 29 police station, the police said.

A parking attendant, who works across the road, said that he did not notice any commotion and only got to know of the incident when the police came to the crime spot. Hoshiar Singh, who runs a dhaba across the road, also said that he could not hear any commotion.