Two men from Bihar who shot dead the driver of a cash van and looted Rs 14.5 lakh while it was being deposited in the SBI ATM in Raigarh on Friday have been arrested within 10 hours of the crime, police said on Saturday.
“Police apprehended the accused within 10 hours of the incident,” Raigarh Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh told the media on Saturday.
Around 2 pm, two bikers shot dead the driver, injured a guard, and looted the money in broad daylight in Kirodimal Nagar area of Raigarh.
“After intensive search operations following local inputs and CCTV feed, both the accused were arrested from village Kerajhar on Friday midnight,” said Inspector General of Police Deepanshu Kabra.
Police recovered the firearms used in the killing and the looted money from the men, the officer said.
Shortly after the incident, all routes leading from Raigarh to neighbouring states were sealed and intensive raids were carried out, added Kabra.
The arrested men, from Bihar, were identified as Sudhir Kumar Singh (Siwan district) and Pintu Verma (Ramgarh district). Both hatched the plan 15 days ago and carried a recce of the place and followed the cash van for four days, police said.
Both had earlier tried to loot the Union Bank on Dhimrapur Road in Raigarh, said the police.
Police recovered 2 pistols, 2 country-made guns, 3 magazines with 26 rounds, 2 live cartridges, 2 knives, the bike used in the crime plus the looted cash.