Main accused in Rs 60,000 robbery held by Sonepat police after brief encounter

In a major breakthrough, the Sonepat police have arrested the prime accused in a robbery case involving two employees of a finance bank near Nahri village. The accused, identified as Sandeep, a resident of Chhochhi village in Jhajjar district, was apprehended after a brief encounter with the police on the Munirpur-Safiyabad road.

As per the police, Sandeep opened fire on a police team when its members attempted to apprehend him. The police retaliated in self-defence, injuring Sandeep on the leg. He was immediately taken into custody and admitted to a civil hospital for treatment.

The robbery incident took place on June 5, when Aman Sharma, a resident of Rathdhana village, an employee of small finance bank, along with his colleague Aman from Diwana village in Panipat, was returning from Bankner village in Delhi. The two were travelling on separate vehicles and carrying Rs 60,000 in cash. Near Nahri village, three armed men with covered faces on a motorcycle intercepted them and looted cash, mobile phones and important documents at gunpoint from the victims.

Following a swift investigation, the police arrested two suspects — Sunny from Dariyapur village in Delhi and Satish from Shivpur in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, — on Thursday evening. During interrogation, the duo revealed that their third accomplice, Sandeep, was planning another criminal activity on the Munirpur-Safiyabad road that night.

Acting on the information, a team, led by Inspector Ajay Dhankhar, laid a trap on the route. Around 10 pm, the team spotted Sandeep on a motorcycle. As the police moved to arrest him, he opened fire. In the exchange of fire, Sandeep was shot on the leg and later captured. A country-made pistol and motorcycle were recovered from his possession. ADGP Mamta Singh and ACP Ajit Singh visited the spot to gather details from the police team. — TNS