Berhampur: Police have cracked the sensational loot of an ATM cash van with the arrest of three persons.
Notably, Rs 24 lakh in cash was looted from the van at Aska Road on August 18.
Police said the accused included the van’s driver, Asish Diggal, and two aides Manyabar Naik and Kartik Naik. All the three accused hail from Kandhamal.
Revealing the modus operandi, SP (Berhampur) Pinak Mishra said Asish had plotted the heist and even drugged himself to stage his kidnapping.
Police first became suspicious that it was an insider’s job after scanning CCTV footage from the crime spot. Police found that the van didn’t speed away from the spot but was driven in a normal manner.
Suspecting Asish’s involvement, police kept a watch and finally arrested him, the SP said.
“He confessed to his involvement during interrogation. We later seized the money, which was buried in a plastic container near the home of his associates in Kandhamal district,” the SP told the media on Sunday.
Of the looted amount of Rs 24 lakh, however, police could manage to recover only Rs 20.90 lakh. Police have also seized four mobile phones and a bike that was used during the loot.
