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ShareMumbai: A 30-year-old driver of an ATM cash refilling van decamped with Rs40 lakh from the vehicle on Friday morning. Praveen Vasudev Belokar fled while two cashiers and a guard went to ABN Ambro bank's ATM at Infinity Mall in Andheri (west) to refill cash. The vehicle was later found abandoned near Mega Mall in Jogeshwari (west) with the remaining cash.
Police said that Belokar, who works for Brinks Arya security agency, left in the van along with the cashiers and a guard from their office at Parsi Punchayet Road in Andheri (east) at 8.15am on Friday. "The vehicle had Rs83.5 lakh in it. The cashiers were to refill 20 ATMs at Jogeshwari and Andheri," senior inspector Kailash Ghamande of Amboli police station said.
At 8.30am, the vehicle reached the first stop at ABN Ambro ATM at Infinity Mall. The cashiers and guard got off to refill Rs9.5 lakh in the ATM while Belokar stayed back.
"When they returned, the vehicle was missing," Ghamande added.
Assuming that the vehicle was towed away by traffic police or parked elsewhere, the cashiers telephoned Belokar to ask about his location. The guard at the ATM, Manohar Mamulkar, told the cashiers that the driver may have parked a little ahead due to traffic regulations. When the cashiers could not contact Belokar for long, they approached the police.
Fifteen minutes after the complaint was lodged, police traced the vehicle near Mega Mall. "We found Rs34 lakh in the van. Belokar had decamped with Rs40 lakh," Ghamande said. Police have launched a search for Belokar, who has been with the agency for six months. Belokar, who was put on the western route three days back, had claimed that he was married and lived with his wife at Shankarwadi in Jogeshwari. However, the police did not find anyone at his residence. A police team will leave for his native place near Shegaon soon.
"We have recorded statements of the cashiers and guards and investigations are on," assistant police commissioner Dilip Suryavanshi said.
Police have not ruled out the involvement of more people in the incident.
