Comp science post-grad, ex-bank staffer, lead man of cash van heist

Jalandhar, November 14

The police have arrested the alleged mastermind behind the Rs 1.18-crore cash van loot at Bhogpur, near here, on November 10.

Satinder Pal Singh, 25, alias Happy, who had done MSc in computer science, along with two others — Manoj Kumar (22) and Sukhdev Singh (30) — was arrested from Rajasthan by a police team from Kapurthala. Two of the seven accused had been arrested earlier. A sum of Rs 61,69,500 has so far been recovered from the accused.

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Jalandhar IG Arpit Shukla and SSP-Rural Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told mediapersons that Satinder allegedly masterminded the loot as he had earlier worked with HDFC Bank.

They said police teams were constituted at the range level and Kapurthala police were also involved since a number of accused belonged to that district.

A special investigation team (SIT) comprising Kapurthala DSP-Headquarters Jaskaranjit Singh Teja and Kapurthala CIA Staff in-charge Jatinderjit Singh was sent to Rajasthan where they raided a house belonging to Banwari Lal, maternal uncle of accused Manoj Kumar, and arrested the three. Two of the seven accused are still at large.

The cash van was on its way to Adampur from Bhogpur to load cash in ATMs when robbers in an Indigo car and on three motorcycles looted it after a chase. One of the suspects, Ranjit Singh, was arrested the same day. — TNS