New Delhi, Dec 03: Taking advantage of the lull between shift changes, armed assailants took employees hostage and robbed Rs 19.3 lakh cash from the office of an agency collecting toll tax in Ghazipur, on Delhi-UP border on NH-24, early Wednesday morning.
The police said a call about the incident was received around 6 am.
The robbery was reported from the office of PKSS Private Limited, which collects toll tax on the Ghazipur border. It is also the zonal office for 20 toll collection points in Delhi. Three company officials were at the office when the incident took place, the police said.
A senior officer said: “Four men came in a Chevrolet Tavera and parked the vehicle near the collection office. They waited casually for 20 or 25 minutes before getting in and taking hostage the three employees — stock in-charge and cashier Dinesh Sharma, driver Devi Charan and sweeper Subhash. They made away with the cash thereafter.”
They also took with them cellphones of the three employees, the police said.
The officer said the night shift had got over at 6 am and there was a gap of about 15 minutes before the second shift took charge. “The assailants used this time gap, when there are few officials in the collection office,” he said. “All four had their faces muffled and were reportedly carrying countrymade pistol and knives.”
They allegedly used these to threaten the three employees.
The officer added that the investigators are interrogating a few people and suspect that an insider is involved, though “every possible angle is being probed”. The office is located just meters from the point where toll is collected at Ghazipur checkpoint.
Additional Commissioner of Police (East) Anand Mohan said, “We have been told the assailants came in a car — we are verifying all details.” The police are now trying to trace the car and are questioning the staff for details and as part of the investigations.
A case of robbery has been registered at the Madhu Vihar police station.
–Agencies