ATM cash van driver arrested at Hyderabad airport after fleeing with ₹56 lakh; ₹34.9 lakh recovered
The Hindu
Cyberabad police arrest ATM cash van driver for theft, recovering ₹34.9 lakh, emphasizing the need for stricter security agency protocols.
A 34-year-old cash van driver was arrested by the Cyberabad police for stealing ₹56 lakh from an ATM cash transportation vehicle in Gachibowli earlier this month, recovering ₹34.9 lakh from his possession.
The accused, identified as Badigere Ajith Kumar alias Shiva, was working as a driver in Sangam Security Agency, tasked with replenishing ATMs. He is a resident of Diamond Point Circle, Secunderabad and a native of Bommanahal village in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.
The theft was reported on February 12 in the Gopanapalli thanda in the limits of Gachibowli police station. While other staff members were loading cash into an ATM kiosk, Ajith Kumar drove away with the vehicle containing ₹56 lakh. For nearly two hours, he misled colleagues by claiming he was at a nearby hotel for tea.
Investigators said he later abandoned the vehicle at Gaddar Chowrasta in Nallagandla after removing the trunk box containing the cash and fled the scene in an autorickshaw. That night, he checked into a lodge at RTC X roads posing as a regular traveller. Police said he broke open the cash box using an axe blade, transferred the money into a bag and travelled out of the city.
Over the next several days, he moved through Anantapur, Ballari, Bengaluru and Pune in an attempt to evade arrest. Acting on technical evidence and human intelligence, three special teams tracked his movements. On the morning of February 24, he was apprehended at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad on Hyderabad outskirts, while allegedly attempting to leave for another destination.
Police said ₹34.9 lakh was recovered from him. During interrogation, he reportedly admitted to spending the remaining amount on personal expenses.
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