CHENNAI: Police on Friday recovered a portion of the Rs 52 lakh allegedly taken away by a driver of a cash logistics firm. Police said the suspect Ambrose of Sivaganga, who is stated to be absconding, was in the vehicle on Thursday when the other staff went to an ATM kiosk at Velachery. Police said he suddenly drove away the vehicle which had Rs 52 lakh in it.
On Friday morning, police traced the vehicle with the help of GPS and recovered Rs 32 lakh from a relative of the suspect. Police said, CMS Info Systems, an agency entrusted by several banks to fill cash at their ATMs, has its office at T Nagar. On Thursday evening, a vehicle along with three employees and a driver started from office and filled five ATMs at Teynampet. The employees were identified as supervisor Vinodh (28) from Ashok Nagar, cash filler Vinoth (26) from K K Nagar, security personnel Mohammed Iqbal (26) from Bihar and car driver Ambrose (41).
“Later with Rs 87 lakh they stopped the vehicle to fill Rs 32 lakh in an ATM at Velachery first main road, near Vijayanagar junction,” an officer said. While Vinodh and Vinoth went inside the ATM to fill cash, Ambrose was in the vehicle and Mohammed Iqbal was guarding the ATM. Iqbal went inside to help the duo.
By the time, the three came out, the vehicle was missing. Based on a complaint by Vinodh, police registered a complaint.
“On Friday, a special team of police identified the abandoned car at Tondiarpet. Police took Ambrose’s wife Rani Mary for inquiry on Friday,” said a police officer. Preliminary investigation revealed that Ambrose had allegedly given Rs 32 lakh to his sister-in-law at Pallavaram before fleeing the city. A senior police officer said the money was recovered from the sister-in-law.