In a breakthrough, the city police arrested five men, including the driver of a private security vehicle, who had fled with Rs. 44 lakh meant for replenishing cash in State Bank of India’s ATMs and seized Rs. 27 lakh of the stash. Four of the five men are siblings, hailing from Malur in Kolar district. A sixth man is still at large and efforts are on to trace him and to recover the remaining cash.
Police said Sikandar Pasha (21) had been hired for the day by CMS Securitas on July 27 when he drove away the cash-laden vehicle.
He was nabbed along with his three brothers — Javed Pasha (25), Mujahid Pasha (21), Jamshed Pasha (33) — and their acquaintance Raghavendra Reddy (32), following intensive search operations.
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It may be recalled here that the vehicle, loaded with Rs. 1 crore, set out from the SBI’s main branch on St. Mark’s Road.
It was being driven by Sikandar Pasha, who was standing in for the usual driver who was on leave.
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Gangammanagudi police, who made the arrests, said after replenishing some 8 or 10 ATMs, the other four suspects came on two motorcycles and intercepted it on Ramachandrapura Road. They got in, threatened the three other staff members of the security agency with a knife and gagged them. They then drove the vehicle towards Hoskote and forced their captives out of the vehicle near a horticultural field, before driving off.
No verification
Police said CMS Securitas hired Sikandar Pasha without verifying his credentials though he claimed he worked for a travel agency.
The five were produced before the court and remanded in police custody till August 10.