Ex-guard planned robbery, 3 held

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 20

A former security guard of Gopal Sweets has been arrested by the police along with two accomplices for allegedly robbing the owner, Sharanjit Singh, on Tuesday night. Nitish Singh, alias Niti (28), had resigned from the job in January this year and was arrested from Kaimbwala along with Janak Singh, alias Lucky (32), and Deepak, alias Deepu (21). The three accused have been remanded in police custody for three days.

According to the police, CCTV footage from the area helped them nail the accused. The accused had been doing a recce for around five days before the crime and had been trying to execute it for three days.

The police have recovered the Activa scooter used in the crime, which is owned by Deepak’s mother. However, they have been able to recover only Rs 4.43 lakh of the Rs 6.25 lakh and the police say the rest has been spent by the accused.

Nitish had a case registered against him in Chandigarh in 2011 under Sections 323, 506 and 34 of the IPC and had been acquitted in January 2012. He had worked at Gopal Sweets for around eight months before quitting in January. Deepak has a case pending against him involving consumption of alcohol in public and creating a ruckus.

 According to the SSP, Chandigarh, Nilambari Jagdale, “Nitish, the mastermind, knew about the timings of the place, cash movement and the employees”. She said the accused were hooked to drugs such as charas and ganja and were also alcoholics. “The accused have been living in the Kaimbwala area for the past around eight years, but hail from Uttarakhand and Rajasthan,” she said.