Rs 20 lakh snatched outside bank in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Monday seems to have become a favourite day with robbers. After a string of daring snatchings on the first day of the week in the past few months, robbers again struck on Monday, looting Rs 20 lakh from a Hapur resident and a bike from a DTC employee in east Delhi.

And it���s not just the day but also the place of target that has become a permanent feature in recent robberies, all incidents have been reported from outside banks.

On Monday, three armed men struck outside a bank in the same market complex where three months ago a security guard was killed, barely 40 metres away. The incident was reported at 3.10pm at the IP Estate Extension DDA market opposite the Oriental Extension flats. They targeted Mohammad Arif (25), a customer from Hapur who had come to the bank to encash his cheque.

In the process, the robbers also snatched the bike of a DTC driver who tried valiantly to resist them but failed after passersby refused to help him. The Mandawali police has registered a case of robbery.

Arif said that he along with his elder brother Mohammad Riyazuddin and driver Mohammad Akram (30) had come to Allana meat Supplier factory in Sahibabad sector 2 from Hapur on Monday morning. While his brother stayed at the factory to complete a business deal, he arrived at the Mandawali branch of Vijaya Bank to encash a cheque worth Rs 20 lakh issued by Allana.

������As I signalled my driver to bring the Santro car closer, three men surrounded me. One of them put the pistol on my forehead and asked me to hand over the bag. When I resisted, they threatened me with dire consequences. They took the bag and walked to my driver and asked him to come out,������ Arif told Times City. Driver Akram panicked and fled towards Anand Vihar in the car.

Left with no choice, the assailants snatched DTC employee Kuldeep Singh���s bike. ������They snatched the bike at gunpoint and fled towards Anand Vihar,������ said Singh.

In all the melee, none of the security guards posted outside the ATMs or the police beat post barely 60 metres from the site came forward to help. Arif climbed back to the bank to call the police, a simultaneous call was made to PCR by Singh. Joint commissioner (New Delhi Range) Dharmendra Kumar said: ������The policemen were some distance away and could not hear the alarm. We have set up various teams on the job and we will arrest the accused soon.������

Police blamed the bank for refusing to abide by guidelines. ������We have told bank managers to install CCTV cameras outside the bank. We also instructed them that the if anyone carries more than Rs 2 lakh, the bank should ensure that a gunman accompanies them,������ said an investigating officer. However, the bank manager said: ������We cannot provide security to every customers. The CCTVs are installed and we hope it will help police investigations.������