Rs30m looted from cash van in 'pre-planned' heist

Security firm employee among suspects as police probe planned robbery

KARACHI:

A cash van belonging to a private security company was robbed on Friday, with police suspecting an inside job as investigations get under way.

According to police officials, as much as Rs30 million was looted during the heist which, according to initial findings, was carried out with meticulous planning.

Officials said employees of SOS Security Company had departed from Tariq Road to deliver cash to a private bank in Joharabad when the incident occurred.

District Central SSP Dr Imran said that during the journey, the cash van crew stopped near Rizwan Park in Block 14 of Federal B Area for tea. Taking advantage of the halt, four suspects boarded the parked vehicle and took control of the van.

The suspects later drove the vehicle to a lane near Altaf Pakwan, where their accomplices and another vehicle were already waiting. The robbers transferred the cash bags into the other double-cabin vehicle and fled the scene.

SSP Imran said preliminary investigations and available evidence indicate the involvement of Wajid, the chief crew member of the security company, who allegedly escaped along with the suspects. He added that Wajid had obtained the keys to the cash compartment from the guards and facilitated access to the money.

Police have obtained CCTV footage from the area to trace the escape routes of the suspects. Investigators have also collected evidence from the crime scene, recorded statements of eyewitnesses, and are conducting raids at locations linked to the absconding suspect.