In a major heist in the state in recent times, four to six men allegedly robbed around '3.87 crore from a van carrying money to be delivered at an ATM centre in Nallasopara (west) in Thane rural. The men zoomed away in their sport utility vehicle (SUV) after the robbery. According to the Nallasopara police, the crime took place at around 3.30 pm on Wednesday near an ATM centre owned by Axis Bank, located near Pathankar Park. Around six robbers came in a Toyota Qualis car and waited for the right time to strike. As soon as the bank personnel opened the backdoor of the car to take out the box of money to be delivered at the centre, the robbers sprang on the security guards manning the vehicle and started assaulting them with hockey sticks. While some of the robbers assaulted the security guards, others pushed the bank personnel and lifted the box from the van and kept it in their Qualis. All the robbers managed to escape from the spot. The branch manager of Axis Bank has registered a case of dacoity with the Nallasopara police station. “We have made special teams who have fanned across the district to nab the culprits. We have some leads in the case. We are finding out if there are any CCTV cameras in the vicinity which could prove to be of help in nabbing the culprits,” said a senior official from the police station.
