Noida: Following a gun battle, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police arrested four persons in connection with the loot attempt at Punjab National Bank in sector 1 of Noida in which two security guards were bludgeoned to death. Police said that a 12-year-old boy was among the four arrested persons who planned the heist after losing Rs 2 lakh while gambling.
According to police officials, the arrested accused have been identified as Dinesh, Aakil khan, Aakash and a juvenile accused. Police said that Dinesh works as a flower seller and used to provide flowers to the guards of PNB bank as well.
"The main accused in the incident was Dinesh who provided flowers to the victim on night of the incident also. During questioning, he confessed that he had recently lost Rs 2 lakh while gambling and had thus come up with a plan to recover the money by robbing the bank where they assumed there would be loose cash around," said Ajay Pal Sharma, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Gautam Buddh Nagar.
The officer further said that the accused are all daily wage earners and stay in slums. In the CCTV footage, one of the accused was seen wearing a guard's uniform.
"The two victims had been asleep at the time of the incident. They didn't realize that they had killed the two guards and have admitted that murder was not their intent. Aakash had worn a guard's shirt to avoid detection. They had also thrown another such shirt over a street lamp to ensure there wasn't enough light for a clear footage," Sharma added.
He further said that the accused had reached the strong room located in the basement of the bank, but, had not been able to break in. Police officials also said that the accused are also drug abusers.
"From the information, we have gathered from them, we have also narrowed nearly 20 people who supply drugs or weapons in the area and will also nab them soon," said the SSP, adding that the accused are often involved in phone snatching (while intoxicated) near the Delhi-Noida border area.
Aakil, who was currently squatting under the DND flyover, hails from Asansol, West Bengal. Police are also working to verify if he is from Bangladesh. Police also said that the accused had not used guns in the robbery bid to avoid alerting anyone nearby. Two country-made pistols and two knives were recovered from the accused after the encounter.