Chandigarh: Guard held, had stashed all the cash in jungle, was staying in Morni hotels

The UT Police Wednesday arrested Sunil Kumar, the security guard behind the theft of Rs 4.04 crore from Axis Bank, Sector 34, from near Manimajra. Rs 4.03 lakh (4,03,14,000) was recovered from his possession.

Kumar disclosed to the police that he stole the money without breaking the iron trunk in the currency chest, where at least Rs 1,300 crore was kept at the time.

“Sunil Kumar disclosed that he stole the cash by opening the trunk locks as the keys were also in the currency chest. It is a big lapse on the bank’s part. Sunil had planned the theft two days before executing it. Apparently, he was under the influence of alcohol when he committed the theft. After hiding Rs 4 crore in the jungle of Hallomajra, he had been staying in cheap hotels situated on Morni road. He disclosed that while absconding, he spent time in the forest areas of Morni,” said a police officer from the crime branch.

Sources said accused Sunil Kumar was spotted roaming in Raipurrani when the sarpanch of the village, Manphool Sharma, informed the Chandigarh Police about his presence around 6.30 pm on Tuesday. Certain teams were present in the area of Raipurrani because the suspect’s social media accounts suggested that he frequent visited Raipurrani, a small town in Panchkula. Sunil Kumar is a resident of village Bhawerwali in Morni Hills, which is near Raipurrani.

“Sunil had switched off his mobile phone but he was very active on social media and Jeewansathi.com, which was analysed by the crime branch. It came into knowledge that he was frequently a visitor to Raipur Rani. After the groundwork, human intelligence was developed and information was received that Sunil will go to Chandigarh. SI Rajeev Kumar, Inspector Harinder Sekhon, DSP Ambasta tailed him from Raipur Rani and nabbed him near Shastri Nagar, Manimajra. H was searched on the spot and Rs 3.14 lakh was recovered from his backpack. The remaining amount of Rs 4 Crore was also recovered from another bag in the forest area. Total 4,03,14,000 were recovered from him” said SP Manoj Meena.

Sources said a new cell phone was also recovered from the accused.

“As the Chandigarh Police informed us about Sunil Kumar’s involvement in the theft, we alerted the entire area about him. Yesterday evening, I received a call from a local man who spotted Sunil riding a Pulsar motorcycle carrying a backpack. He was wearing the same clothes, which were described by the police. I immediately called police personnel, who has shared his number with me. Later, we were informed that Sunil Kumar was arrested,” Manphool Sharma, the village sarpanch, told The Indian Express.

“A day before committing the theft, Sunil had hosted a party at his rented accommodation in Mohali, which was attended by his two fellow
security guards and two persons from his village. Sunil had also called a woman who was later traced by the Chandigarh police,” said police sources. A case was registered at PS 34.