Three hours after ₹ 15 lakh was looted from a scrap dealer in Khanna, police arrested three men, including the victim’s driver, who allegedly tipped off two accomplices about the cash and helped orchestrate the robbery.
Police teams were immediately mobilised and a city-wide search was launched. The arrested accused have been identified as driver Subhir Sukhi, Manpreet Singh, alias Gopi of Ravidas Mohalla in Amloh, and Jatinder Sing, alias Kaka of Lakha Singh Wala village in Amloh, both in Fatehgarh Sahib district. The accused tried to overpower Banda and take him away in the vehicle, but he resisted and managed to get out of the car. Investigators examined CCTV footage and used technical surveillance and human intelligence to trace the suspects. “On seeing police teams, the duo jumped from the building in an attempt to escape and sustained injuries to their legs.
Khanna superintendent of police Rajesh Yadav said the robbery took place around 1 pm on Thursday, when scrap dealer Karan Banda, a resident of Mandi Gobindgarh, was returning in his Hyundai Venue after withdrawing ₹ 15 lakh from the bank. The duo then fled with the Hyundai Venue and the ₹ 15 lakh cash, following which Banda alerted police. They were then arrested and taken to hospital,” the superintendent of police said, adding that the stolen ₹ 15 lakh, the vehicle and a country-made pistol were recovered from the accused. An FIR has been registered at City Khanna police station under Section 309(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act, Yadav said.
Police said Sukhi had tipped the two accused after his employer withdrew cash from a State Bank of India branch in Khanna. Yadav said the two alleged robbers were eventually traced within three hours to an abandoned building on the Payal-Beeja Road, where they were reportedly dividing the stolen cash. Yadav said Sukhi’s alleged involvement emerged during the investigation. “During the investigation, the role of driver Subhir Sukhi surfaced as the person who had tipped off the duo helped orchestrate the robbery,” the superintendent of police added.
