A salesman had a providential escape when unidentified persons opened fire at him before escaping with his bag containing Rs.13,000 cash at Muradnagar under Asifnagar police station limits on Saturday.
The incident triggered tension in the sensitive Muradnagar area as scores of residents and shopkeepers came to the spot to enquire about the incident.
Salesman Afzal came to Khan Supermarket at Muradnagar along with his auto driver Imran around 3.30 p.m. to deliver potato chips and other packaged food items.
While Afzal was interacting with the supermarket owner Irshad Ali, two unidentified persons came on a motorcycle and tried to snatch the cash bag from him.
When Afzal resisted their attempts, one of the duo whipped out a firearm and fired one round at him. However, Afzal evaded it and it hit the showcase inside the store. The accused then managed to escape with the cash bag, said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Asifnagar) T. Nagaraj Kumar. The salesman and auto driver are employees of Mansi Enterprises at Aghapura.
Bag of cash
Police inquiries revealed that the miscreants might have followed the two employees from their office on a motorcycle assuming that the salesman was carrying huge cash in the bag. Soon after he came to deliver snacks at Khan Supermarket, they executed their plan by opening fire.
“We are collecting more details from the salesman, auto driver and supermarket staff to zero in on the culprits,” said Asifnagar Sub-Inspector P. Ramaswamy. Surveillance cameras were not installed in the store.
Organised crime?
Police are suspecting the role of a gang which snatched a bag from a person in a similar manner under the Tappachabutra police station limits last year. Senior police officials, including Special Branch Joint Commissioner of Police Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat inspected the spot.
