Patna,(BiharTimes): Seven armed criminals on Tuesday looted cash worth Rs one crore from a cash transfer van of Security and Intelligence Services (SIS) near Bhikhua village under Fatuha police station in Patna district. The cash, which belonged to the Machhua Toli branch of the Union Bank of India, was being transferred to Jamui, 167 km from the state capital.

The van is said to have deviated from the Patna-Mokama road to an under-construction four-lane road as the driver reportedly wanted to take a short route. 

The incident took place at about 11:55 AM some 20 km from Patna. The van left for Jamui from Patna at 10:50 AM.

The criminals also took away a double-barrel gun of one of the two guards on board the van. Police suspect the possibile involvement of a bank insider, who could have informed the criminals about the location and the route the vehicle was about to take.

In all four persons were on board the cash van. They are driver, Munna Choudhary, two security guards Sanjay Tiwary and Raj Kumar, and the custodian of the cash identified as Deepak Kumar. 

According to the police the cash van came to a halt, when a SUV coming from the opposite direction blocked the road. The criminals, armed with pistols, forced all of them out and beat up the driver and the custodian with the pistol butts. The security guards said since the criminals were too many, they could not resist.