Van driver managed to spend only Rs 10,000, failed to meet family

Told police he was frustrated with low pay

Pradeep Kumar Shukla managed to spend only around Rs 10,000 out of Rs 22.5 crore in the 10 hours which saw around 100 Delhi Police officers work from Thursday evening till he was nabbed at 4 am on Friday.

The 35-year-old spent the money in buying alcohol, chicken, clothes and sacks to transport the cash.

“Pradeep’s decision to stay back in south Delhi worked against his plan. A tea shop owner there also played a crucial role in his apprehension,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (South-Eastern Range) R S Krishnia.

Police initially believed that the heist was a well-planned exercise involving four to five persons, but were shocked when Pradeep revealed that he executed it alone.

Though the border areas were under strict barricading, police feared that the money could have been taken out of the city.

In his statement, Pradeep told police that he was frustrated with his salary and working hours at SIS Cash Services. He had joined in September on a monthly salary of Rs 14,000.

“After the incident, Pradeep planned to leave with the cash, his wife and three children before midnight,” said a police officer.

But Pradeep failed to meet his wife Shashikala and their three children at their rented house in Harkesh Nagar. Shashikala’s mobile phone was also switched off.

Pradeep had gone to the house after dropping the cash boxes at the godown in Okhla Industrial Area. But his wife and children had left for a market.

Having disposed of his mobile phone to avoid detection, Pradeep also used a landline phone to call his wife.

The caretaker of the godown from where the cash recovered was also unaware of Pradeep’s plan. He was told that the boxes contained documents which would be taken for delivery on Friday.

“Pradeep would have filled the cash into sacks for easy transportation. Since he was a driver, it was easy for him to rent a vehicle and escape,” the officer added.

A dozen police teams worked on several possibilities before the cash van’s GPS tracking unit came to their aid.

“We focused our search on the route between Okhla Industrial Area and Govindpuri,” the officer said. Soon, a tea seller whom police showed the photograph identified Pradeep as walking around in Okhla Industrial Area. That helped police nab him.

“We showed his photos to many persons in the area until tea seller Ajay said he had seen him in the locality. As we walked through the streets, we came across a godown with lights switched on inside. Pradeep was found inside with the cash boxes,” the officer added.