Armed gang robs Rs 23 m from Nabil bank vehicle

DHANGADI, Dec 10:

Gangsters dressed as traffic police have robbed Rs 23.066 million from a jeep carrying bank cash, at Malakheti VDC-3 of Kailali district, Tuesday.

Two men took control of the jeep at Chaukidanda on the Bhimdhatta Panta highway. The jeep was transporting cash from the Mahendranagar branch of Nabil Bank to the Dhangadi branch of Nepal Rastra Bank.

The gangsters in traffic police dress stopped the jeep purportedly for a check. There were four bank officials in the jeep and they realised that they were being robbed only when one of the gangsters pointed a gun at the driver and took control of the vehicle.

According to jeep driver Dil Bahadur Chand, one of the gangsters put a gun to his forehead after asking a few questions, and then took control of the others on board.

“My first impression was that it was a nice practical joke, but they were serious. They threatened to pull the trigger if we tried to act smart. They got inside the jeep and drove to the south of Chaukidanda,” said Chand.

“After driving for a few miles, they picked up three more people who were apparently their friends,” added Chand.

The group then stalled the jeep inside the Mahila Community Forest area and absconded with the money.

“Our hands were tied up and we were blindfolded but we could clearly hear their conversation. One of the men was saying that he knew everyone in the bank including the manager,” said Chanda. “With all vision blocked it was impossible to see in which direction they fled,” he added.

Talking to Republica, AIG Narayan Bastakota surmised that the gangsters must be from nearby villages as they were well-informed about the daily activities of the bank.

“A look at the crime scene shows that the gangsters had a clear plan as their every action appeared perfectly managed. However, we have gathered substantial evidence from our preliminary investigation and that will lead us to the gangsters very soon,” said Bastakota.

According to him, a team from the Armed Police Force and other police personal have been deployed to search for the culprits. They also robbed three mobile phones from the bank officials.

(Source: Republica)