The Cuttack Rural police, investigating the sensational loot of over Rs 1.67 crore from an ATM cash van under the Tigiria police station in the district in November 2023, have arrested seven persons, including kingpin Kalim Khan.
Cuttack Rural SP Mihir Panda said that a staff of the cash-carrying van and another staffer of a separate vehicle had actually provided information to Khan regarding the route and other information. It was Khan who then engaged other criminals to commit the robbery.
“We have arrested seven accused and recovered over Rs 64 lakh cash, two-wheelers and sharp weapons. The investigation will continue. The SUV used in the crime has been dismantled and dumped in a canal. More arrests are likely in the case,” said Panda.
Panda further said that both the staffs of the cash vans had lost huge amounts of money in online gaming. They had subsequently shared information with the criminals in a bid to make up for the loss.
Police said the entire plan was well-executed by the criminals. Some of them were on two-wheelers and four-wheelers while others kept watch on road and tracked the movement of police. The criminals had conducted recee and attempted twice to loot cash from the van. But they had to abort the operation due to a timing mismatch, police said.
“We have identified all the accused who were part of the conspiracy. All of them will be arrested soon,” Panda added.