CUTTACK: In a daring daylight heist, masked miscreants on Friday allegedly looted Rs 1.67 crore in cash from an ATM loading van on Nuasadak- Godijharia road near a rice mill in Tigiria.As per reports, the van had loaded Rs 20 lakh in cash at an ATM at Madahpur, Rs 34 lakh in two ATMs in Athagarh town and Rs 22 lakh in an ATM at Godijharia.
The van of Securevalue India Ltd was on its way to load cash in nine other ATMs when seven to eight masked miscreants carrying firearms and other weapons started chasing it in a SUV.The miscreants waylaid the van at a secluded place near the rice mill, forcibly took away the trunk containing the cash at gun point and fled the spot. The trunk reportedly had Rs 1.67 crore in cash.
“We had brought the money from Athagarh SBI branch. After loading cash in ATMs at Madhapur, Athagarh and Godijharia we were going to load cash in nine more ATMs when an SUV stopped in front of us at an isolated place near the rice mill. The masked miscreants got down from the SUV and first snatched the rifle from me and threatened others in the van with sharp weapons. They then took the cash trunk and fled the spot,” said Ranjan Kumar Dehury, the security guard. He said the van was carrying three other staff. On being informed, senior police officers including Cuttack SP (Rural) Mihir Kumar Panda rushed to the spot and launched an investigation.