City police have launched a massive search for the 21-year-old who has allegedly fled with Rs. 50 lakh from a cash van on Wednesday afternoon. The cash was to be deposited in ATM kiosks across the city.
The suspect, Mahesh, is a resident of Nandini Layout. He joined Brinks Arya Pvt. Ltd., a private security firm that handles transfer of money to ATM kiosks and banks in the city, on Monday as a junior supervisor. On Wednesday afternoon, he was in a vehicle that left from the firm's office in Anepalya with Rs. one crore to be loaded in a few ATM kiosks.
En route, the vehicle halted at IndusInd Bank, Centenary Building, MG Road to collect cash. The supervisor, Manjunath, and security guard, Muthanna, went inside the bank to pick up the money. Before that, Manjunath handed over the key of the cash box in the van to Mahesh. The vehicle has a separate driver's cabin.
At that time, Mahesh was sitting in the other cabin, which has a metal grill. He walked out of the vehicle with a backpack telling the driver that he was going to relieve himself. When Manjunath and Muthanna returned, Mahesh was missing and his mobile phone was switched off. Alarmed, Manjunath checked the cash box and realised that five of the 10 packets of Rs. 10 lakh each were missing.
The driver, Prabhu, later told the police that he heard Mahesh opening the cash box and even questioned him. Mahesh allegedly replied he was checking the lock of the cash box before he went out.
Ulsoor police have registered a case under Section 408 of the IPC (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant) and Section 420 (cheating). Police have questioned Mahesh's family members. His father works as an auto driver in the city.
