In a broad daylight heist, an ATM cash van carrying Rs 5 lakh was looted this afternoon in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar area, in one of the first such cases to be reported in the national capital after demonetisation.
A senior police officer said they received a PCR call around 2.15 PM informing that three motorcycle-borne men snatched the briefcase containing Rs 5 lakh from a bank official and fired in the air.
"We were informed that three men on a motorbike looted Rs 5 lakh from a bank official in front of the SBI ATM at Pandav Nagar bus stop," he said.
A 'Brinks' security cash van, after replenishing different ATMs in the area had arrived at the SBI ATM near Pandav Nagar bus stop.
Cash custodian Abdul Qadir had taken out the briefcase containing 2,000 and 500 rupee notes when three men on the motorbike reached there, police said.
"One of the accused caught hold of the gunman who was standing near the cash van. The other snatched the briefcase containing from Abdul Qadir," said the officer.
In the scuffle, one of the accused had fired in the air to scare Qadir. After snatching the briefcase, all of them fled from the spot on their bike. The security gunman also fired in the air but by that time, the three men had fled.
The accused had their faces covered with helmets and mufflers so that the victim couldn't see their faces, he said.
Police are questioning shopkeepers in the vicinity to gain clues that could lead them to the accused but so far, they haven't found any leads.
It is suspected that someone who knew about the movement of the van and the estimated time by which it will arrive at the ATM to replenish could be involved in planning and carrying out the heist, they said.
They also searched for CCTV footage in the nearby areas but so far they haven't found any footage that could help them identify the bike or the riders, sources said.
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