Rs54 lakh daylight heist raises a volley of questions

Unknown miscreants alleged to have snatched a cash bag claimed to be carrying Rs 54 lakh of ICICI bank here in Daltonganj on Friday. According to Palamu SP Indrajeet Mahatha, there appears many big holes in the snatching incident . He counted it one by one.

The 54 lakh cash was on a bike. It should have been in CMS (cash management solution) van, quipped the SP, adding that the cash was taken down on a bike by the bank security personnel without the gun. The gun was left behind in the CMS van away from the bank about 150 meters or so.

Again the bike was not of the bank but of an acquaintance of the personnel who was taking down the cash 54 lakh.

 “Can ICICI bank here explain these serious lapses and negligence,” Mahtha asked. He questioned as to why the CMS van did not pull up at Mahindra Arcade instead of it stopped at Chhoumuhan 150 meters away from the bank? Cash goes down in the bank branch straight from CMS van but here security protocol of the bank cash was thrown to the wind.

Again why on earth the security guard left behind his gun in the CMS van and took down the cash on bike without arms. The SP said this is a big failure and a crime on the part of any security personnel who so keeps his weapon away from himself.

SP asserted it was a snatching but here too he cast doubts on the version of the security personnel of the ICICI. The bank man said his bike was pushed from behind and then this snatching of the cash. But the SP has too many questions like did the cash bike fall? Did the snatchers on bike have a similar imbalance? Did anyone on Zila School Chowk see this happening?

The SP answered himself quoting his officials who got on this job saying, “None at zila school chowk said anything remote or close about this case happened there.”

The ‘prey’ of this snatching did not raise any alarm. No help was sought from public pedestrian or motorists said SP which he said was very uncommon as in event like this one cries at the top of his voice for help.

Here, it was said the prey chased the snatchers up to Shahpur Bridge. No telephone call was made by security personnel to police of Daltonganj police station which is 200 meters away from branch and 50 meters away from the so called place of occurrence at Zila School Chowk.

Police could know about this episode through a senior police officer of another State here who was in Daltonganj. Confirming this SP Mahatha said police here knew about this incident not from the security personnel nor from the branch but through this senior police officer of a different state who was here on his own works here.

The SP did not rule out foul play saying police will investigate if there is any conspiracy behind this whole snatching of 54 lakh of cash of ICICI bank.