Post office guard dies after ‘relative’ hits him with bat in robbery attempt
The boy desperately needed money to fulfil his extravagant lifestyle. He knew where the post office was located since his relative worked there. RAJNEESH GUPTA, DCP (Rohini)
NEWDELHI: A 60-year-old security guard at a post office in outer Delhi’s Rohini died after he was hit with a cricket bat, allegedly by a relative, who wanted to steal money from the establishment, police said. The killer is allegedly a minor.
Sushil Kumar Saini was found dead with his limbs tied and mouth taped when a mail van arrived at the post office on Saturday morning. Saini was to retire in February, said one of his colleagues.
After committing the crime, the 16-year-old alleged killer also allegedly tried to destroy the CCTV camera installed at the post office and stole digital video recorders (DVRS). But footage obtained from a CCTV camera installed in the neighbourhood led to his identification leading to his apprehension, said Rajneesh Gupta, DCP (Rohini).
Saini lived with his wife, two sons and their families in Naharpur village in Rohini. He worked at the post office located in Rohini Sector 7, just a few hundred metres from Rohini (North) police station. He was on night duty on Friday when he was killed. “The boy desperately needed money to fulfil his extravagant lifestyle. He knew the topography of the neighbourhood where the post office was located since his relative worked there. Believing he could get a lot of cash at the post office, he decided to rob it,” said the DCP.
“Around 10.30 pm on Friday, he sneaked into the post office compound and hid there for sometime. When he saw Saini approaching, he struck him on his head with the cricket bat that he had brought along,” added DCP Gupta.
“As Saini fell unconscious, the boy picked up some plastic material at the post office and used it to tie his hands and legs. He also put tape on Saini’s mouth,” said Gupta, adding that it was unclear whether the boy intended to kill his relative. Since the guard would move in and out of the post office, the building’s gate was left unlocked. After trying to destroy the CCTV camera installed at the post office, the boy allegedly ransacked the counters for cash after he failed to break a locker that had more cash, the DCP said.
“He found around ₹20,000 cash and a mobile phone in the counter. He took them and the two DVRS that he feared contained his footage. While leaving, he threw the bat on the terrace of the building,” said the DCP.
Saini’s colleague, Om Prakash, said that when the mail van arrived at the post office around 7 am on Saturday, he found Saini lying motionless on the ground outside the building. “The mail van staff immediately alerted the post office authorities and the police. Saini was to retire on February 28,” said Prakash.
“The boy was seen in one of the CCTV footage. On identification, he turned out to be a relative of Saini. We picked him up from his home. The stolen cash, mobile and DVRS were recovered from him,” said the DCP.