By IANS,
New Delhi: Delhi Police is still groping in the dark over one of the biggest heists in the capital in which the cash van of a private bank carrying Rs.5.25 was driven away by over six armed men after they shot the guard of the van, police said.
“We have formed seven teams while the Crime Branch has brought in two units. We have been investigating from all possible angles and are very near to cracking the case,” Joint Commissioner of Police Vivek Gogia told IANS.
Police sources said they are working on the theory of insiders role behind the robbery.
“It has been clear that the robbers were definitely professionals as they took not more than ten minutes in committing the crime. A few gangs from Faridabad, Madangir, Khanpur, Sangam Vihar and Rohini are being scanned. Police is examining the employees who were with the cash van,” said Gogia.
An insiders role is under suspicion as the robbers were waiting for the cash van near a petrol pump in Defence colony, where the incident took place, said sources.
Police is questioning the driver of the van. “The moment he crossed the petrol pump, the accused intercepted the van with their car in the service lane and committed the crime,” said police.
“Investigators are questioning the other employees in the cash van about why did they did not resist the robbery after the guard was shot,” sources said.
The incident took place around 1 p.m. Friday and the PCR call was made around 1.20 p.m.
The assailants shot Munna Singh, 40, who succumbed to his injuries at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) late Friday night. Singh was sitting in the front passenger seat of the van.
Another gunman Ajab Singh and an employee Ashok Kumar were sitting in the back of the van. Another employee, Raj Kumar, was leading the van on a motorcycle. He claimed he did not witness the incident.
The cash van, a radio taxi (DL-1 RT 2088) belonging to a private cash replenishment company Premiere Shield, was hired one-and-a-half month ago from Faridabad as a replacement for the company’s armoured vehicle, which was out of service.
The van collected Rs.5.25 crore from ICICI Bank’s Hauz Khas branch around 12.30 p.m. Friday and was heading towards its Lajpat Nagar branch.
The cash van was recovered abandoned after two hours from south Delhi’s Hauz Rani and two empty trunks were seized from it.
As per CCTV footage at the petrol pump and statements of eyewitnesses, the robbers waited for over 40 minutes in a white Hyundai Verna car, which had been stolen from Faridabad seven months ago.
Source said three vehicles, including the cash van, were probably involved.
Another vehicle was backing up the robbers, which was used by them to get away after transferring the cash in Hauz Rani area.