Five held for Mankhurd cash van robbery

Five persons have been arrested for allegedly robbing Rs 17 lakh from a cash van in suburban Mankhurd on June 13, police said today.

The incident occurred when the van belonging to a private company was headed towards Mumbai after collecting cash from Mankhurd and Govandi railway stations.

The van was engaged in the business of transporting money of government and non-government organisations.

The driver of the van, manager and one security guard were present in the vehicle when the incident took place near Dhobi Ghat, Mankhurd on Panvel-Sion highway.

The accused, who were armed with choppers and firearms, had stopped the van by attacking it with a stick.

"The accused also wanted to steal a box which contained Rs 65 lakh. However, a passersby woman informed the police and our van reached the spot. However, the accused had fled then with a cash bag," Shahaji Umap, DCP (Zone VI) said at a press conference.

The arrested accused are identified as Chirag Shaikh (40), Vijay Thakare (38), David Lawrence (33), Jagdish Suvarna (49) and Santosh Rajput (30), he said, adding that eight others ae absconding.

Umap said eight teams were formed to crack the case.

"Our teams traced an autorickshaw that was used for committing the robbery. The driver of the autorickshaw was detained and he spilled the beans on the other accused. We have arrested five accused and are looking for eight others," he added.

Based on the information given by the autorickshaw driver, the other four accused were arrested last night, another official said.

They were produced in court today which remanded them in police custody till June 25.

Police recovered Rs one lakh from the accused and have seized a car, an autorickshaw, and other weapons used in the crime.

All the accused are history-sheeters who have several cases pending against them in various police stations across the city.