Former cash firm staffer held for theft

He stole a bag with ₹32 lakh in May

A 23-year-old former employee of a cash management firm tasked with collecting money from metro stations across Delhi was arrested for allegedly stealing a bag containing ₹32 lakh in May, the police said on Thursday.

He was arrested from Select CityWalk mall in Saket on Wednesday following a tip-off.

CCTV footage

The police were informed about the theft of cash from an SIS van at Jhandewalan metro station on May 22. They scanned the CCTV footage and spotted a man picking up the bag containing the money from the van and running away.

Employees of the firm were questioned and the accused was identified as Kamal Kumar, who was sacked because of his habit “of going on long leaves without explanation”, the police said.

The police claimed to have recovered ₹11.20 lakh from his hideout in south Delhi, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Metro) Pankaj Kumar Singh.

Mr. Kumar allegedly told the police during interrogation that he lived with his wife in a rented accommodation for ₹30,000 per month in a posh south Delhi area.

Mr. Kumar started frequenting discotheques and bars in south Delhi after he lost his job and even made a girlfriend, Mr. Singh added.

In order to fund his lavish lifestyle and spend money on his girlfriend, he hatched a plan to steal the bag. He knew the cash was insured and that the firm’s employees were allegedly little careless while handling the cash, said another officer.

While on the run, he visited his girlfriend in Agra and handed over some of the stolen money for safekeeping, the police said.