Two alert employees of a jewellery shop not only warded off a bid to snatch a bag containing just over Rs. 50 lakh in cash that they were carrying but also helped the police apprehend one of the culprits.
It all happened in a short time on the busy Cubbon Road-Main Guard Cross Road Intersection here on Monday. Two armed culprits tried to snatch the bag from the two employees, who were on a scooter. An alarm raised by the latter resulted in one of the culprits being held.
C. Krishnamurthy and Rakesh, the employees of the jewellery shop on Dickenson Road, were entrusted with Rs. 50.3 lakh in cash to be remitted to the company’s account in a commercial bank on Kasturba Road.
Krishnamurthy, who was riding the scooter, told The Hindu that a motorbike overtook him on Cubbon Road and obstructed his path at the junction of Main Guard Cross Road.
“The pillion rider of the motorbike got off the vehicle and threw chilli powder on me. But it did not cause me any discomfort as I was wearing a helmet. He pointed a knife at me and punched me on the face, and tried to snatch the cash bag. But I held onto it tight and, in turn, kicked him in the abdomen which put him on the back foot,” he said.
Rakesh, who was riding pillion, was also attacked and kicked by the assailant.
Munichennappa, Sub-Inspector of Police with the Shivajinagar Traffic Police, who was just across the road on Main Guard Cross Road, rushed to the spot after noticing the melee.
“I first thought it was a case of road rage. It took us some minutes to realise that it was a robbery bid,” Mr. Munichennappa said.
While the motorbike rider fled, the pillion rider who attacked the scooterist ran across the road towards Shivajinagar.
Mr. Munichennappa and a constable Dhanraj gave a chase and apprehended him with the help of people who had gathered there.
The name of the arrested man was given as Naresh (24), a resident of Ulsoor. The Commercial Street Police are investigating. The police said that their priority was to arrest Naresh’s accomplice now.
