A hard-core criminal allegedly involved in robbing a Roorkee- based ATM of Rs 25l on April 7 was injured during an exchange of fire with police on Friday morning. The accused identified as Sukhvendra Singh alias Moni, native of ludhiana, Punjab, was later admitted to a hospital. Earlier, Jhabreda resident Mintu alias Rajendra Verma who was arrested in connection with the ATM robbery case on Thursday informed police during interrogation that Amit Talwar, resident of Raipur, Jhabreda and Sukhvendra Singh alias Moni had been involved in the robbery. According to police, Mintu was given Rs 6l as his share of the booty. Amit was arrested on Thursday night.
Upon being tipped about Moni moving around Kaliyar on a two-wheeler on Friday morning, Mangalaur and Gangnahar police sealed the area and started a hunt. As the accused was stopped he tried to flee. While being chased by police, the bike-borne accused is learnt to have fired shots at the police personnel on his trail. As police resorted to retaliatory firing Sukhvendra is said to have received bullet injuries in his legs. After he fell down police rushed him to the civil hospital, Roorkee from where he was referred to a higher centre. Police said he is now out of danger. Police further said that Moni is a hardcore criminal who had allegedly looted a bank in Punjab in 2011 after which Punjab police had announced reward of Rs 2 lakh on him. He had been later arrested by Punjab police and had escaped from jail. State ADGP (law and order) Ashok Kumar announced reward of Rs 10K to the team which arrested the accused of the sensational ATM loot case.
Circle officer S K Singh said that police have recovered a pistol, some cartridges, a two-wheeler and Rs 50, 300 in cash from his possession, perceived to be part of the currencies robbed from the ATM. Singh further said that Singh would be taken into police remand from the court. A team has been formed to arrest another accused of the case Billa who is still on the run.
Notably, the daring day-time robbery had stunned the people of the state. As per police, two motorcycle- borne robbers had robbed Rs 25 lakh when the employees of Axis Bank were loading currency into an ATM located at BSM tri-junction at Roorkee in Haridwar district on April 7. The incident which had occurred at around 1.30 pm in the Gang Nahar police station limit had created panic as the robbers fired shots in the air and injured the guard of the bank by hitting him on his head by the butt of a fire arm.