Kapurthala: Punjab police have solved the sensational robbery of Rs 45 Lakh from the money changer’s employee in Phagwara with the arrest of mastermind and recovered Rs 22 Lakh of the looted money and two cars.
The arrested accused has been identified as Akhil Rawat alias Sonu, a resident of house number 122-A in sector 51-A Chandigarh.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said that on December 25 evening, sensational crime happened near main chowk of Phagwara city when a person named Shankar Maini, an employee of Hoshiarpur based money exchanger private firm abducted from the slip road by three masked criminals in the Silver Sakoda and ran away towards Ludhiana side.
Later during investigation, it came to notice that Shanker Maini was kidnapped by the purpose of looting as he was carrying Rs 45 lakh with him .
He said that the police registered a case under section 365-IPC against three unknown persons at police station city Phagwara and started the probe.
During preliminary interrogation, Akhil disclosed that he along with his friends perpetrated the loot Rs 45 lakh in Phagwara town on December 25. When Shanker came towards Phagwara in a bus with the money bag, the accused had informed his men to chase him. Then they kidnapped him in a Skoda car bearing fake number PB-10-C-1111(actual number is HR26-VB-8026) and abandoned him near Goraya town after looting the cash from him.
The accomplices have been identified as Amandeep Singh Makhan Gurusar Shah Nal 126, Gurudwara Fatehabad, Haryana, Shami Sharma son of Prithvi Ram Sharma of Har Milap Nagar, Baltana, SAS Nagar Mohali .
Police teams conducted raids on these and recovered the second car Silver Sakoda from the residence of one of the accused Amandeep Buttar .
It is found during investigation that accused has changed the number plate of skoda car and used fake number (PB10-C-1111) but the actual number of car is HR-26-BV-8026 .
He said that police would add other sections 379-B , 472 of IPC and 25-54-59 Arms Act as the investigation is unfolding more in this case.
He told that the accused has been taken on remand for further interrogation and to know the possible hideout of the remaining members of the racket.