Ludhiana Police has nabbed a total of nine accused in cases of fraud after a dramatic chase helped them capture the two kingpins, Mandeep Kaur and her husband Jaswinder Singh, who had together carried out one of the biggest heists witnessed in Punjab. The group had robbed close to Rs 10 crores from CMS-Connecting Commerce, a cash-management company, according to a report by NDTV.
The heist was carried out on June 10.
Ludhiana Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu stated that the police had received information that the couple had escaped to Nepal, but later found out that the information was false. He explained that they had planned to visit Hekhmund Sahib, Kedarnath and Haridwar, apparently as a gesture of gratitude to the Almighty for the successful execution of their robbery.
While the police were aware that the couple was in Hekhmund Sahib, it was hard to spot them among the flocks of devotees. A makeshift counter giving out free fruit-flavoured drinks was set up as a trap. This is why the couple were identified when they uncovered their faces to drink. After they had finished their prayers, the police, after a quick chase, arrested them.
Ludhiana Police Commission Mandeep Singh Sidhu said that Rs 20 lakh was found on the couple. They have also recovered almost Rs 6 crores and arrested the other nine accused in the case. Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav took to his Twitter handle to proclaim that the “kingpins of the robbery were arrested in less than 100 hours”.
Operation ‘Lets Cage the Queen Bee’
The Ludhiana Police force had announced during press briefings their operation ‘Lets Cage the Queen Bee’ to arrest Mandeep Kaur in coordination with the counter-intelligence wing of Punjab Police. They claimed that the robbery was carried out with the help of an employee of the cash-management firm who thought that Kaur was a lawyer and was allegedly convinced by her to be an accomplice in order to better his life.
A police officer who has questioned Kaur stated that she claimed to be studying law but that they have not verified these claims. She also revealed the motive was to be able to pay back a huge amount of debt urgently.