GHAZIABAD, May 13 -- A week after a daylight robbery of an ATM cash van on NH-9 Ghaziabad, police on Tuesday gunned down two alleged masterminds of the heist in an encounter in the Wave City area, officials said.

The deceased, identified as Zuber and Sameer, were carrying rewards of Rs 50,000 each and were among the key accused in the May 6 robbery in which armed men looted nearly Rs 27 lakh from a cash replenishment van after holding its driver hostage at gunpoint. According to police, the encounter took place during a late-night operation after crime branch teams received specific inputs about the movement of the suspects near Wave City. When police attempted to intercept them, the accused allegedly opened fire, triggering a gun battle. Both sustained bullet injuries and were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared them dead. Three policemen were also injured during the exchange of fire, officials said.

DCP City Dhawal Jaiswal said police recovered around Rs 9 lakh in cash, illegal firearms and the vehicle used in the robbery from the accused. Two other suspects Shoaib and Firoz remain absconding, and police teams are conducting raids to arrest them.

Officials said the robbery was executed with precision in broad daylight near Crossings Republik on NH-9.The cash van, operated by a private cash management company, had stopped near an ATM kiosk while staff members were replenishing cash machines. Taking advantage of the moment, armed men overpowered the lone driver and fled with the van. The abandoned vehicle was later found near the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Masuri.

Police officials said Zuber, considered the mastermind, ran a bamboo and scaffolding business in Vijay Nagar, while his brother Shoaib worked as a clothes vendor in local markets. Their neighbour Firoz who supplied cosmetic goods to shops, was allegedly roped into the conspiracy.

The sensational robbery had prompted police to scan over 250 CCTV cameras across NH-9, Crossings Republik and adjoining expressway stretches to trace the gang.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.