The cash replenishment firm whose staff was robbed of Rs.1.5 crore from a cash van at Bungalow Road on Saturday may be prosecuted for not adhering to the security instructions laid out by the police.
No CCTV cameras in the vanJoint Commissioner of Police (Central Range) Sandeep Goel told The Hindu that the van belonging to Scientific Security Management System (SSMS) did not have CCTV cameras installed inside the vans. Those operating these fleet of vans are required to do so.
This, said Mr. Goel, was a fit case to slap Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code on the company.
“Even though the incident took place outside the van, investigations later revealed that there were no cameras inside the van, which is a violation of the instructions issued by the police,” he said.
Instructions were issuedAfter a similar incident at Defence Colony a couple of years ago, the police issued instructions likeprovision of an armed guard travelling with the cash, a GPS and refilling activities to be done before sunset. SSMS’ van had ticked these boxes, added Mr. Goel.
According to the police, there are some rules that are not binding, but the companies are expected to follow to avoid such untoward incident.
“We have conveyed to them that ideally there should be two armed guards, one of whom should stay inside the van, while the other provides cover to his colleagues on their way to the ATM from the van. However, many companies do not have the provision for the extra guard,” said Mr. Goel.
The police have also been advising these companies to carry the cash in built-in chests inside the vehicle and take out a portion of the amount in the ATMs they have to fill.
But this instruction was not followed either.
