Armed robbers loot Rs 1.33 crore from bank van in Punjab

Patiala, May 2 (PTI): Armed men today looted Rs 1.33 crore from a van of a private bank here, following which an alert has been sounded across the state, police said.
Seven unidentified men intercepted and opened fire at the van, injuring the driver near Banur town in the district, a senior police official said.
“The incident occurred when the van was on its way from Chandigarh to distribute cash to some branches in Banur and Rajpura,” Patiala SSP S Bhupathi said.
The robbers chased the van for some time and intercepted it on the highway, he said.
Reportedly, they had placed a car, with two men standing beside it, as an obstruction on the road, leaving space for just one vehicle to pass.
As soon as they intercepted the van, one of the robbers shot at the driver, while another fired in the air to disrupt traffic.
The cash from the van was looted within minutes. The car used for creating the obstruction was stolen from Banur last month, police said.
The injured driver has been hospitalised.
The CCTV footage from the area is being scanned, the police said, adding that they are trying to ascertain if the robbers had used another vehicle in the crime.
“We have registered a case under relevant provisions of the law,” the SSP said.