OUTSIDE NOIDA ATM ROBBERY BID FAILS, ₹20L GOES MISSING
DRAMA Passersby rush in to grab the notes, police recover nearly ₹20 lakh from suspect
NOIDA: In a dramatic turn of events in which members of the public turned on robbers who had targeted officials replenishing a Noida ATM on Tuesday, ended with the arrest of a suspect but ₹20 lakh cash, missing.
The incident happened at an SBI ATM adjacent to gate number 2 of Kendriya Vihar 2 society in Sector 82 when a cash van belonging to a company that provides security service, arrived at around 1.45 pm.
“Two cashiers, also the custodians of the cash, entered the kiosk and downed the shutters as per procedure, while armed security men stood guard outside,” said a spokesperson for Noida Police. “Two masked men arrived on a motorcycle and started firing at the guards.”
Forty-year-old Indra Bahadur Singh, who normally guards the ATM, said the security men left their post and sought cover behind the society gate from where they retaliated.
“I sought refuge in the society. At least 12 rounds were exchanged between the two parties,” said Singh.
Eyewitnesses to the crime said that during the gunfight, a suspect approached the kiosk under cover fire from his accomplice, forced the ATM shutter open and grabbed a cash bag from the cashiers inside.
“The cash bag had ₹40 lakh,” the spokesperson said. The suspects then tried to flee on their motorcycle.
According to an eyewitness, a passing motorcyclist, however, tried to stop them. “The masked men were moving towards the Sector 110 market intersection, approximately 250 metres from the ATM,” said Mukesh Kumar, an auto driver. “That was when the motorcyclist rammed his vehicle into theirs.”
While this did slow them down, it did not stop them. They recovered their balance and made another attempt to flee.
“They reached the sector 110 market intersection, when a cab intentionally rammed into them too. They were thrown off from their motorcycle,” said Kumar.
The impact caused the cash bag too to be flung into the air. “It spilled ₹500 and ₹2000 currency notes,” said Kumar.
People in the area rushed to collect the loot, police said.
“I saw children carrying bundles of notes in their hands. One of them, who is probably not older than six, was apprehended by the guards and recovered ₹75,000 from him. We handed that money over to police,” said Bhanu Chaubey, security officer at Kendriya Vihar 2 society.
One suspect, meanwhile, abandoned the motorcycle and escaped, while the other was apprehended. Police identified the arrested man as Nanhe, in his late 20s and a native of Bulandshahr. The suspects were booked under IPC section 394 (loot) at Phase 2 police station.
“We recovered ₹19,65,000 from him, along with two countrymade pistols and a pistol. The search to nab the other suspect is ongoing,” said the police spokesperson.
Police said they are yet to identify the suspect who is free.
Police said they were probing where the rest of the cash is. Eyewitnesses claim that the suspect who escaped did so without any cash on him. So far, police have registered case only against the two suspects.
“Prima facie, it is difficult to ascertain where the missing money went at this moment. Our probe is on,” said Sudha Singh, superintendent of police (city). Cash carriers enter the ATM kiosk to replenish the machine, down shutters. Two armed guards stand outside Two men arrive at the ATM on a motorcycle, their faces masked by handkerchiefs The two parties exchange at least 12 rounds of fire. The masked men fire with countrymade pistols, while the guards return the fire with their double-barrel guns A passing motorcyclist rams into the suspects from the front, but doesn’t manage to stop them The suspects are thrown off their vehicle. The cash bag falls open on the road, spilling ~500 and ~2,000 notes Sector 82 A cash van stops in front of an SBI ATM kiosk outside Kendriya Vihar 2 society in Noida’s
Sector 82 The motorcyclists begin firing at the armed guards, who seek cover from the indiscriminate firing behind the gates of Kendriya
Vihar society
One of the two suspects approaches the kiosk, while the other provides cover fire. He lifts the shutter and takes away the cash bag. The duo then try to flee on their motorcycle, while firing in the air indiscriminately As the suspects reach the Sector 110 market intersection, a cab rams the motorcycle from behind Onlookers manage to nab one of the suspects while the other runs away
Passersby and locals, on seeing the spilt cash, rush in to grab the notes and flee. The armed guards reach the spot and recover rest of the cash