Four armed men on Saturday looted Rs 1.64 crore cash from a van on its way to replenish an ATM in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara district, police said.
However, three of the accused were arrested within hours of the crime thanks to alertness shown by residents of Baghul village in Navagarh area.
The incident occurred around 11:30 am under Khandsara police area when the private cash logistics firm van was on its way to the ATM of the State Bank of India to deposit cash in Navagarh area, said Bemetara Superintendent of Police Prashant Thakur.
When the van reached a turn between Jhaal and Atariya villages, one of its tyres got punctured, he said.
As the armed guard and the driver were changing the tyre, four men, with their faces covered, arrived in a car at the spot and asked the guard to open the lock of the van at gun point, he said.
"The accused then fled with boxes containing Rs 1.64 crore. They also took away the gun of the guard," the SP said.
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Following the incident, police launched a hunt and laid check posts at several places in the area, he said.
Thakur said the robbers abandoned the car at Baghul village and were trying to flee when some villagers spotted them, and gave them a chase.
"Sensing trouble, the robbers fired in air to scare away villagers. However, the villagers overpowered three of the robbers while their accomplice managed to flee," the SP said, adding that the boxes containing cash have been recovered.
The accused were later handed over to police.