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, all the accused were arrested within hours of the crime with the help of police 'mitras' or volunteers of Baghul village in Navagarh area of the district, they said.
Two robbers and a villager were injured as local residents struggled to overpower the criminals from escaping who fired in air.
The villagers hurled stones at robbers after they fired at them. Two of the accused and a villager sustained injuries in the scuffle, police officers said.
"The incident occurred around 12 noon under Khandsara police outpost 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," DGP DM Awasthi and Bemetara Superintendent of Police Prashant Thakur said in a joint press conference in Raipur this evening.
While check posts were laid on all exit routes in the area police from neighbouring districts were also put on alert, the DGP said.
Meanwhile, Bemetara police circulated the information about the robbery on local social media groups of police "mitra" who alerted locals, he said.
When villagers in Baghul village spotted a car resembling the one used in the crime, they tried to flg it down.
"On seeing villagers, the robbers sitting in the car abandoned it at the village and tried to flee, following villagers gave them a chase, he said, adding that the robbers even fired in air to scare away villagers.
However, they were overpowered by villagers and handed over to police, the DGP added.
"Police recovered Rs 80 lakh of the looted Rs 1.64 crore cash and two revolvers from the robbers," he said, adding that investigation is on to trace the remaining booty.
The top police officer said the villagers will be felicitated for their courage in Bemetara.
Narrating the sequence of events, the SP said when the van reached a turn between Jhaal and Atariya villages, one of its tyres got punctured.
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 and also took away the gun of the guard," the SP said.
The arrested robbers were identified as Amit (27), Kuldeep Malick (27), Rinku Hooda alias Jashwant (30) and Sonu Hooda alias Sanjeet (27), all natives of Haryana, Thakur said.
The car used in the loot was stolen by robbers from Raipur a few days back, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.
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