Dead Gangster's Sister Planned The Mumbai ATM Van Heist. Dropped Rs 1,500 To Distract Driver And Loot Rs 1.5 Crore
Kamla Nagraj Devendra sister of a former gangster had hatched the plan. She was involved right from organising criminals doing a recce of the ATM and planning the robbery the police said. On Friday three people - Kamla Devendra Suresh Pandurangam and Aurangam Subramanian Sheke - were arrested while on their way to Bangalore by private bus. A search of their baggage led to the recovery of Rs 15 lakh.
Did a woman orchestrate the Dharavi ATM heist of Rs 1.5 crore? The police said that the woman, Kamla Nagraj Devendra, sister of a former gangster, had hatched the plan. She was involved right from organising criminals, doing a recce of the ATM and planning the robbery, the police said.
BCCL
On Friday, three people - Kamla Devendra, Suresh Pandurangam, and Aurangam Subramanian Sheke -were arrested while on their way to Bangalore by private bus. A search of their baggage led to the recovery of Rs 15 lakh.
"During interrogation, the three admitted to their role in the Dharavi ATM heist and spilt the beans on their accomplices," said deputy commissioner of police Praveen Padwal. "From our initial probe, it seems Kamla was the key player of the gang."
Kamla, a native of Tiruchirapalli in Tamil Nadu, is the sister of Krishna Devendra, an alleged robber and a close confidante of DK Rao who is a Chhota Rajan aide. Krishna was shot dead outside the Sewree court in 2006.
NDTV
"Kamla, a divorcee, stays in Sion Koliwada. She used to get food for her brother and other gang members when they were lodged in lockups and jails. That's when she had got close to gang members and their style of functioning." said an officer.
The police said that Kamla used to harbour people from her native town, Triuchipalli, and many who stayed there were members of the Tak Tak gang. This gang is known to grab people's belongings by diverting their attention. The police said Kamla had recceed the Dharavi ATM earlier this month.
On Thursday, when the guard and cashier of Logicash entered the ATM to refill cash, one of the accused, Aurangam Sheke, threw Rs 1,500 in notes of Rs 500 and Rs 100 under the van. Kamla then diverted the attention of the driver who was in the van, by telling him that a few notes had fallen down.
"As the driver got off to collect the money, two other accused opened the rear door of the van and fled with the chest containing Rs 1.5 crore and fled."
BCCL
The police said the accused had changed three taxis to avoid being tracked down. The police said they later distributed the cash among themselves.
When the three were nabbed on the bus, they told the police that they planned to visit Tirupati via Bangalore. All three were sent to police custody by a magistrate's court in Bandra.
On Saturday, the police added section 395 of the Indian Penal Code for dacoity after learning that there were more than five members. Earlier. the police had registered a robbery case against unknown persons.
NDTV
Meanwhile, the police are also probing as to whether the security agency, Logicash, which was transporting the cash had followed the standard procedure laid down. According to a preliminary inquiry, when the cashier and a guard entered the ATM to refill the machine, the guard should have locked the door instead of just bolting it.
The police said that one guard had accompanied the cashier in the ATM, carrying Rs 48 lakh and had left Rs 1.5 crore unattended with the van driver who was not even armed.
The police said that if they find officials of the cash agency are at fault, they too may be booked for and negligence.
