Bengaluru: Cash van driver steals Rs 20 lakh, leaves it in auto!

Bengaluru: In yet another cash heist in the city, a 26-year-old driver of a cash ferrying vehicle escaped with Rs 20 lakh in Old Airport police station limits on Saturday. However, on Sunday the accused driver abandoned the vehicle and the cash trunk and escaped.

The accused has been identified as Ceaban Hussain Mazumder, who hails from Assam. According to the police, he had joined Secure Value India Limited that provides cash management services, a month ago as a driver.

On Saturday, he along with another staff Ramesh and gunman collected money from various banks and were depositing the cash to ATMs. They had collected '52 lakh from the banks and first deposited '2 lakh at an ATM in Madivala. Later, they went to a State Bank of Mysuru ATM in Challaghatta in Old Airport police station limits.

“It was around 5.15 pm, when the staff Ramesh and the gunman went inside the ATM to deposit Rs 30 lakh. The accused driver was alone in the vehicle. A trunk with Rs 20 lakh in new Rs 2,000 denomination was kept. Taking advantage of the situation, the driver escaped with the cash. The staff immediately alerted the company and a complaint was filed with the Old Airport police. As the police were trying to the trace the vehicle, they found it abandoned near Yamalur, but the cash trunk was missing,” the police said.  As the investigations were on, the police received information that the trunk was found in an auto near Bellandur. “Investigations revealed that the accused had hired an auto from Jayanagar and had got down at Bellandur. He gave a Rs 2,000 note to the driver, who went to bring the change. When he returned, he could not find the passenger but had left the trunk in the auto. The driver alerted the nearby traffic policemen, who alerted their senior officers. We got a duplicate key done and opened the trunk to ind the stolen Rs 20 lakh intact,” an official said.  The police suspect that the accused driver who have abandoned the box fearing arrest. “We are on the lookout for the accused. He had joined the company on November 10 and it appears like he joined with an intention to commit theft. While joining, he had mentioned that he stays near Sukh Sagar hotel in Koramangala and during investigations it was found that he has given a false address. Meanwhile, the gunman, who was on duty when the incident took place, was supposed to be guarding the vehicle but had entered the ATM kiosk with the other staff. We are investigating into these lapses,” the police added.