HYDERABAD: In a bloody daylight robbery which claimed a security guard’s life, two youngsters opened fire at the staff of Write SafeGuard, a cash management service (CMS) agency, while the latter were replenishing cash in an HDFC Bank ATM machine at Patelkunta in Kukatpally on Thursday afternoon. During the firing, the security officer Mirza Subhan Ali Baig (74) accompanying the CMS van received a bullet injury in the stomach and died, while the ATM officer Chintala Srinivas (33), received a bullet injury in the leg.
Another bullet shot by the offenders hit the ATM booth glass door. Baig had earlier served as a constable in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).Police said the robbers on a Pulsar bike tailed the CMS vehicle from Kukatpally. When the staff were filling cash in the HDFC ATM booth, the culprits tried to snatch the cash from the staff.
In the scuffle that followed, the suspects opened fire on the staff. Two other staffers escaped unhurt in the incident. The suspects made away with a Rs 500 note bundle, valued at Rs 5 lakh.The two suspects were reportedly nabbed in Sangareddy district later in the day.Cyberabad Commissioner VC Sajjanar said the offenders belong to an interstate gang. Analysing the offence, police suspect that the culprits conducted a recce of the spot and after thorough planning, committed the offence.
The CMS staff started from the HDFC Bank at Begumpet with Rs 2.07 crore cash in a vehicle no AP 36Y 9150. They were to replenish this cash in 17 ATM booths. They loaded Rs 10 lakh in one ATM at VV Nagar, Kukatpally and had come to the HDFC ATM at Patelkunta. Mirza Subhan Ali Baig, who was in possession of a licensed double barrel gun and Srinivas collected Rs 12 lakh cash to load in the machine.
The suspects approached them near the booth and tried to snatch the cash from them. But the duo retaliated. In the process, the suspects shot at Mirza Subhan Ali Baig and Srinivas. ATM assistant Naveen and the vehicle driver G Krishna who saw this rushed to their rescue and even tried to foil the robbery attempt, but in vain.
“During the struggle, Mirza Subhan Ali Baig received a bullet injury and he died undergoing treatment at hospital. Srinivas who received a bullet injury in the leg, has been shifted to NIMS Hospital for better treatment,” said Sajjanar. Police recovered two bullet shells, a magazine and a helmet, which they believe belong to the suspects. CCTV footage of the incident has been retrieved.
The weapon could be country-made and after the offence, the robbers sped towards KPHB on their bike, which did not have a number plate, the police said. A case has been registered at Kukatpally police station.