Thane: Seven dacoits loot ATM cash handling company of Rs 5 crore

A gang of seven dacoits, wielding knives and chopper, allegedly looted the office of an ATM cash handling company in Thane on Tuesday in the wee hours and decamped with nearly Rs 5 crore, police said.

The incident took place when the dacoits, who had their faces covered with monkey caps and handkerchiefs, barged into the office in Teen Hath Naka area at about 3 AM where 4 to 5 staffers were engaged in counting money, Thane Police spokesperson inspector Sukhada Narkar said.

According to initial reports, the amount was pegged at around Rs 12 crore but after counting of the booty looted, police have estimated a sum of nearly Rs 5 crore. The dacoits kept the three security guards and staffers at bay at gun-point while some of them stacked off the cash.

They had also disconnected the CCTV camera connection before fleeing the spot, the officer said. According to a complaint lodged by one of the staffers, the accused spoke in Hindi and Marathi and were attired in half-pants, shirts and vests.

Narkar said the company handled cash for bank ATMs, malls and jewellers. At the time of the incident, the cash collected was kept in the office. After receiving an alert, Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh rushed to the scene. He then handed over the probe to crime branch, Thane unit.

Singh earlier said that the cash was estimated to be around Rs 7 to 8 crore but the exact figure was established after thorough counting. The accused were carrying knives, a revolver and a chopper. Besides cash, they also looted mobile handsets and CCTV camera recorder worth Rs 40,000, Narkar said.

An offence was lodged under 395 (dacoity), 397 (preparation to commit dacoity), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (2) and relevant sections of Arms Act, she said. All the accused are at large now and no arrest has been with regard to the incident, police said.