Cash van driver makes off with over Rs63m in Korangi

A private company’s driver made off with over Rs63 million in Korangi on Tuesday. The suspect had left the office with the company’s guards to collect cash, but sped off alone with the money at the first opportunity. The abandoned vehicle was later found in Awami Colony without the cash.

Korangi Industrial Area (KIA) police said the incident was brought to their notice after the company informed them about it and the CCTV camera footage went viral on social media.

Police said security guards were present in the van, but when the driver was alone, he sped away with Rs63.5 million to meet with his accomplices. The suspect then transferred the cash in a car and abandoned the van, they added.

Officials said police have impounded the cash van and collected fingerprints from the vehicle. The driver has been identified as Zohaib Hussain, son of Abdur Rasheed, hailing from Vehari in Punjab, they added.

Police said the suspect had been dismissed from his job three months ago but was rehired only a few days prior to the incident. The CCTV camera footage shows another car accompanying the cash van at the time of the incident, they added. After the driver sped off with the money, both vehicles stopped in Sector 16 of the KIA, where they transferred the cash from the van to the car, then all the suspects sped off in the car, according to officials.

According to the police statement of the van’s crew chief, Moosa Khan, the vehicle was carrying four company employees: the driver Zohaib, and the guards Saqib, Sher Ahmed and Khan himself. “We were tasked with collecting money from various banks. We had collected Rs63 million from various banks and put it in the van. At around 4pm we arrived in Sector 16 at a private bank’s branch.”

Khan said he and Ahmed went inside the bank to collect the cash, leaving behind Zohaib and Saqib. “When we returned with the cash from the bank, the van was not there. Saqib was standing outside the bank unarmed.”

Saqib explained that he had left his repeater gun in the van to go fetch cold water requested by Zohaib, according to the police report. “At that moment the driver sped away with the cash already in the van,” said Khan. “After some time I informed my company’s control room about the incident.” He said the van was later found abandoned near the Awami Colony police station, but there was no cash or weapon in the vehicle.