Rs 36 lakh robbed by masked men, police don't rule out inside job

Five masked men on motorcycles allegedly robbed over Rs 36 lakh from four petrol pump employees at gunpoint in northeast Delhi’s Nand Nagri on Tuesday morning.

The robbers fled on their bikes, the police were told. The police have registered a case and suspect that some insiders or previous employees at the pump could be involved in the robbery.

The incident happened around 11 am when the four Indian Oil petrol pump employees Arvind Kumar, 32, Vinod Tyagi, 35, Narendra Kumar, 30, and Manoj, 28, were going in an Alto car to deposit Rs 36.5 lakh at a Axis Bank branch in Durgapuri. The money was the three-day collection at the petrol pump.

When the employees reached Nathu Colony chowk, the masked men riding on two motorcycles came near the car and broke a window by striking it with a pistol butt.

They then trained the gun at the men in the car and asked them to hand over the bag with the cash. After snatching the bag, they fled towards Mandoli, said the police. The victims then made a call to the police and a police control room van reached the spot.

During the investigation, the police team found a mask apparently worn by one of the five alleged robbers. A forensic team is trying to pick fingerprints from it. Although the police have registered a case of robbery, they see some loopholes in the narration of the incident.

The claim that some men managed to rob the employees travelling in a car on a busy road is making them suspect that the incident may have been staged, said the police.

“Yes, we are also looking into the fact that the victims themselves could have been involved in this incident. A detailed questioning of the victims should reveal crucial information,” said Ajit Singla, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East range).