In a major crime, some miscreants forced themselves into the car of a Punjab National Bank branch manager, kept him and another employee of the bank captive for some time at gun point and finally escaped with Rs18 lakh on Friday.
The crime happened in broad daylight at Dakrani in Vikasnagar near Dehradun. It is learnt that the manager of Naugoan (Uttarkashi) PNB branch was taking the amount in a car to the PNB main office located at Astley Hall in Dehradun. Police sources said that criminals in a car had followed the manager’s car from Tehri.
Senior police officers and those from Vikasnagar police station rushed to the site with the police sealing off the area to comb for the armed robbers. However, none of them has been caught so far.
Police said that the criminals had held the manager and the employee captive at a desolate place near Kempty Falls in Tehri district near Mussoorie and looted the amount at Dakrani.
Senior police officers reached the site. The area was sealed off for combing operation to nab the armed robbers.
Vikasnagar police station in-charge said that the incident had happened in Tehri. "We were informed. However, no FIR has been registered in the police station by Friday evening. It is not clear where the FIR would be registered," he added.
Giving details of the robbery, a senior police officer said that three persons in a car had shadowed the manager's car and overtaken it at Dakrani in Vikasnagar.
The trio then alighted from their car and looted the manager of Rs 18 lakh at gunpoint. The criminals had kept the manager covered under a blanket and held him captive for a while. To scare them into compliance, the robbers fired shots in the air. After the loot was complete the robbers pushed the manager and the employee off the car at Jamuna bridge. later they drove away in the manager's car.
The branch manager informed his branch officers about what had happened following which the branch official informed the local police station.
Garhwal Range IG Sanjay Kumar Gunjyal said that a team has been formed to investigate the case. "However, the bank officials had not cared to inform the police while carrying the money for Dehradun. They should have. We asked them repeatedly to keep us informed when they carry money with them. However, we are probing the case and those responsible would be caught soon," he said.