BHUBANESWAR: Two employees of a cash logistics firm have been arrested by police for allegedly stealing Rs 40 lakh from the money van during cash replenishment of ATMs in the Capital city on November 5.The two have been identified as Ratikanta Rout of Bhadrak and his foster son-in-law Ajit Kumar Sen of Khurda. Both were employed as driver and temporary driver with Radiant Cash Management Services Private Limited entrusted with the job of cash logistics and replenishment of ATMs in the city.On November 5, the staff had taken Rs 2.58 crore from State Bank of India’s Main Branch in Unit-I area for depositing the money at several ATM kiosks here.
However, when the custodians proceeded to deposit the money in an ATM kiosk at Shampur in Khandagiri, they noticed eight bundles of Rs 500 denomination notes worth Rs 40 lakh were missing. They reported the matter to the authorities and a complaint was registered with police. Police investigation found that there were four persons in the van including the two custodians Gobinda Behera and G Shiba Dora, gunman Manoranjan Nayak and the driver Ratikanta Rout.
Since the custodians were having the keys of the safe box installed in the vehicle, their direct involvement was not suspected. The gunman and the driver then came under the scanner.The investigators found that the two custodians and the gunman had alighted from the vehicle to load cash at ATM kiosks in Ashok Nagar. Taking the opportunity, Rout, who had managed to forge duplicate keys of the vault earlier, stole the cash bundles worth Rs 40 lakh and handed it over to Sen, who was trailing the van all through. Sen immediately fled.
Rout, who was taken in on suspicion, spilled the beans. “On questioning, he confessed to planning and execution of the theft with the help of Sen. We have seized Rs 37.69 lakh, the vehicle, duplicate keys and three mobile phones,” Capital Police said.Meanwhile, in a separate incident only two days later, staff of the same company had lodged a complaint alleging that Rs 60 lakh was looted from them at gun point in Gediapalli under Begunia police limits in Khurda district. The case is yet to be solved.