4 held for cash van robberies worth ` 3cr

CBD BELAPUR: The Navi Mumbai crime branch have arrested four people for their alleged involvement in several cases of cash delivery vans being robbed. The men were picked up from various parts of Tamil Nadu, months after their accomplices were arrested.

Acting on a tip- off, a team led by police inspector Shekhar Bagade arrested Shiraman Pichaya Pallar, 3 1 , Gopal Hatanangare Devendra, 34, Bhaskaran Subramani Volar, 29, Karpswami Supramnyam Pallar, 36, who have been involved in robbing many vans delivering money. In all, they have stolen Rs3.65 crore in 2011, said Shrikant Pathak, deputy commissioner of police (crime).

According to Pathak, the accused confessed to their crime and said they had looted cash worth Rs 20lakh from a cash delivery van belonging to State Bank of Travancore in CBD on December 10, 2012, after obstructing the vehicle with a car. They also robbed other vans in the last three years, he said.

The most recent one was on August 8, 2013, when they robbed Rs10 lakh cash from the vehicle carrying money for Radiant Cash Management Services Pvt Ltd.

Besides this, the accused were also reportedly involved in a number of similar robberies in Khar, and Bandra in Mumbai, he informed.

However, Pathak said police have not recovered the stolen money from their possession.

“We are interrogating the accused to get details of stolen money spent by them as well as other robberies they’ve been involved in,” he said, adding that prima facie it appears that they bought property in the names of their relatives with the money.

BACHCHAN KUMAR Three of the four men who were arrested.