Two bike-borne men allegedly stabbed the supervisor of an ATM cash refilling van and took ₹18.5 lakh near Jalahalli Cross on Monday morning. The attack occurred when the van was parked near an ATM kiosk and employees of the security agency were refilling the machine.
The incident could have been avoided but for two security lapses, police sources said. Every such van has to have an armed security guard, but this one did not. There was no security guard at the ATM kiosk either. The guard who was on the night shift — 70-year-old Narayanappa — claimed that he had gone to relieve himself and have tea.
Early morning, three employees of a private security agency that has the contract for refilling ATM kiosks of a private bank, set out with ₹1.26 crore in cash. After filling two ATMs, the van stopped on S.M. Road near Peenya around 6 a.m. at the third kiosk. One of the supervisors Mohan Kumar went inside the kiosk to open the ATM to refill it with cash. Another supervisor, Sagar, 21, got down with a bag containing ₹18.5 lakh taken from the cash safe in the van.
As he was on his way to the ATM kiosk, two men on a bike, both wearing helmets covering their face, approached him. The pillion rider tried to snatch the bag from Sagar.
When he resisted, the pillion rider jumped off the bike and stabbed Sagar thrice – in his right shoulder, above his chest and in his thigh.
He then took the cash bag, got back on the bike and the duo sped away. The driver of the vehicle, Prasanna Kumar, who was at the wheel of the parked van, got down and chased the bike, but couldn’t catch up with the duo.
Bagalagunte police have formed three special teams to nab the culprits. The entire incident was recorded on the CCTV camera at the ATM kiosk.
