JOIN USIn a daring daylight heist, two motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead a security guard of a cash replenishment agency and robbed Rs 1.5 crore while cash was being refilled in an ATM in Kamla Nagar here on Saturday.
The incident took place around 11 am when four employees of the cash replenishment agency were at an Citibank ATM on Bungalow Road UB-Block.
“The security guard and the driver of the cash van were standing outside the ATM booth, while two custodians were inside the booth. Suddenly, two men came there on a motorcycle and shot the security guard,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Central Range), Sandeep Goel.
When the security guard fell flat on the ground, the assailants went inside the ATM booth and threatened the two custodians with a similar fate if they did not follow their instructions.
The accused then snatched a currency chest containing Rs 1.5 crore. “The two men were wearing helmets during the entire incident. They also fired in the air while fleeing from the spot to scare locals,” another police officer added.
The deceased, 28-year-old Satender Singh, is from Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh. He was shot twice in the head and succumbed to injuries at Sushruta Trauma Centre in Civil Lines. According to the police, he was working as a security guard with Scientific Security Management Services.
Satender was carrying a double-barreled rifle, but he did not get time to retaliate, the officer said. The incident was captured by a local on his mobile phone and several CCTV cameras in the area.
According to sources, the accused were well aware of the area and had a fair idea about the timings of the cash van. On Saturday, they followed the van for some distance before they finally reached the location.
Several teams led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma are probing the case. “We are taking help from video clips and footage from nearby CCTV cameras,” Verma said.
The ATM where the incident took place is situated at a bustling spot in Kamla Nagar, just 100 metres away from Hansraj College, Delhi University, and surrounded by a number of eateries flocked by students. It is also near Raj Niwas, the official residence of Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.