Haryana Police announce cash reward of Rs 2 lakhs for Gurugram’s Rs 96 lakhs money heist

Cash was coolly lifted from a cash van at Subhash Chowk

Gurugram, April 20 (Delhi Crown): The Haryana Police have announced a cash reward of Rs 2 lakhs for anyone providing credible information leading to the arrest of the accused involved in snatching of over Rs. 96 lakhs at Gurugram’s Subhash Chowk from a cash van belonging to a private security agency.

“The identity of the informer will be kept confidential,” said Haryana DGP P.K. Aggarwal on Wednesday in a statement.

The sensational money heist had taken place three days ago by as many as five unknown persons, while there was only one person present inside the cash van. The lone executive had gone inside an automobile showroom to collect cash when the incident had taken place.

The money heist had sent shockwaves across the millennium city even as the Gurugram Police have remained clueless over the past three days. Presence of CCTVs in the city also seem to be proving helpless in tracking down the accused.

The fact that the reward has been announced by none other than the Haryana DGP raises serious question marks over the ability and capability of the Gurugram Police.

An FIR was registered under sections 395/397 IPC and Arms Act at Gurugram’s Sadar Police Station on the same day.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Gurugram Police initiated action for cancellation of the license of the private security agency “S&IB Pvt. Ltd.” involved in cash transportation when the money heist had occurred in broad daylight.

The local police claimed to have uncovered “grave lapses” on the part of the private security agency while transporting huge amounts of cash.

“The company was transporting cash in complete violation of the stipulations laid down in ‘The Private Security Regulation Act 2005’ and rules of Haryana Private Security to cash transportation Activities Rules 2019,” said the Gurugram Police in an official statement on Wednesday.

It added – “The Maruti Eeco car being used to transport the cash did not comply with any of the specifications for design laid down in Schedule 1. There was no cash compartment with grills, no cash box, no wire mesh installed in the  windows and the windscreen of the car, no CCTV, no alarm/hooter with GSM based auto dialler system.”

According to the Gurugram Police, the private security agency also violated all the norms laid down with respect to the deployment of personnel in the cash van – only 3 persons (including driver) were in the Eeco Van as opposed to the stipulated minimum of five persons. No armed security guard(s) deployed. All 3 personnel had been recently employed an did not appear to be trained – they kept the windows open and the cash lying in loose bags.”

Squarely blaming the private security agency for the money heist, the Gurugram Police’s DCP (East) Virender Vij recommended cancellation of private security M/s S&IB Pvt. Ltd.’s licence.

The DCP also recommended that the company be also black listed. Meanwhile, Gurugram Commissioner of Police Kala Ramachandran said that the bank which had entered into a contract with the company for transportation of the cash should have exercised due diligence in supervising the cash transportation.

She also instructed the DCPs to reach out to the banks in Gurugram and ascertain the number of such private companies involved in cash transportation and ensure strict compliance of the Haryana Private Security to cash transportation Activities Rules 2019.