Pak Post van looted, dacoits escape with Rs1.52 million

Islamabad : A gang of dacoits looted a cash van of Pakistan Post in broad daylight taking away Rs1.52 million without facing any resistance from the security people Tuesday.

Six dacoits equipped with firearms riding three bikes, hit a cash van in front of a post office at Shahzad Town, held the guards on gun point and took away cash of Rs1.52 million without facing any resistance.

The dacoits ran away with the looted amount on bikes towards Tramari Chowk after successful hit, the police spokesman said.

DIG (Operations) constituted a team led by SP (City Zone) comprising experts to hunt the criminals involved in the dacoity, the police said.

“Almost same incident happened in November, 2017 at village Lathiot falling in the jurisdiction of Koral Police Station when same number of gunmen looted the same cash van and took away over Rs10 million of post office,” the people investigating the case disclosed and added that the post office staff and the cash delivery guards were identical.

The security personnel guarding the cash van were unarmed, inexperienced and in plain clothes, police said and added that the dacoits easily held the private security guards on gun point and escaped with the looted amount. The cash van workforce didn’t fulfil SoP set for transportation and carrying cash, the people engaged in the investigation of the case said.

The cash van was not an armoured vehicle and the transporting company completely ignored protective covering, essential for the cash transportation, the police said adding that the inner locks of the cash van were broken. “The guards were so inexperienced that they even didn’t resist during the episode of rampage,” the police, quoting eye witness account said, adding that at the Post Office where the cash was being delivered, no security guard was deputed. The cash was openly shifted in the Post Office in specific cash bags when targeted, the police said.

The security guards deputed for the transportation of the cash, have been held for interrogation, the police said and added, “It could be planned dacoity,” the police said and added that every step was taken according to the set plan.”

The DIG (Operations) when contacted for his comments, confirmed that there were many questions against the standard of security and the people responsible for the protection of the cash van. The police, however, have initiated investigation and the mystery would be solved in hours, not days, he added.