Attention diverters loot Rs 55 lakh from van

HYDERABAD: An attention diversion gang snatched away Rs 55 lakh cash from a private security agency which deposits cash in ATMs on the busy Chikkadpally road on Friday afternoon.Though an armed security guard was present guarding the vehicle, offenders laid a bait to the driver by throwing away Rs 10 notes and sped away with the loot.The incident took place on Chikkadpally main road opposite the Chermas showroom.The personnel of CMS Security Agency, which deposits money in ATMs of various banks had come to the State Bank of India ATM to deposit money around 2.15 p.m. Two employees went inside the ATM to deposit Rs 45 lakh. The van driver Ashok and a security guard Dwivedi, stood guard where a cash bag containing Rs 55 lakh was kept at the driver's seat. "Though the cash is supposed to be kept in the rear cabin which is secured with iron grills, the employees kept the bag at the driver's seat," Chikkadpally police inspector S Prathap said.According to police, Ashok saw Rs 10 notes lying on the ground behind the vehicle and he came out to collect them. "By the time he came back, the cash bag was missing," Prathap said. Dwivedi, who was standing guard had a Single Barrel Breech Load (SBBL) gun with him."Neither the driver nor the security guard noticed the offender who snatched the bag and fled," police said.Police, who enquired from shop-keepers and vendors in the vicinity found that a person hurriedly left the place with a cash bag and boarded a bus towards Narayanguda.Though a closed-circuit camera was installed in the ATM, it did not capture images outside the premises.Meanwhile, police are suspecting the role of Tamil Nadu-based Ramji Nagar gang behind the incident."The modus operandi is similar to that of Ramji Nagar gang which has already committed more than 10 offences in a similar manner," investigators said. "The employees had already deposited cash at three to four ATMs before reaching Chikkadpally. We suspect offenders followed the vehicle,'' police said. The staff of the agency are also being questioned.