Punjab: Rs 8 crore robbery kingpin couple fall for a free drink on way to Hemkund Sahib

Kingpins of Rs 8 crore heist in Ludhiana were arrested by police in a daring operation that saw them set up a free juice booth in Hemkund Sahib to lure the accused into their trap. Read on to know how police managed to nab the couple who had plans to flee to Nepal.

Ludhiana:A perfect script for a crime thriller, Punjab police apprehended the mastermind couple behind the Rs 8.49 crore robbery after setting up a free juice kiosk in the hills of Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand where the accused had come to pay obeisance, apparently for the successful heist they had managed to pull with the help of their accomplices.

The trap laid for the couple by Punjab police worked perfectly as Mandeep Kaur alias Mona and her husband Jaswinder Singh, the kingpins of the June 10 robbery at a cash management firm in Ludhiana, fell right into it. The couple had left for a pilgrimage to Hemkund Sahib and then planned to escape to Nepal. But, police issued a lookout notice for the duo.

A senior police official said that they received information that the two were in Hemkund Sahib but it was impossible to identify them in the massive crowd of devotees who had gathered there. Police thus laid a trap under Operation 'Cage the Queen Bee’, and started distributing free juice to people so that they reveal their faces.

Oblivious to the trap, the couple stopped at the booth and took their drink packs. They then removed the cover from their faces and took a sip of the drink. Police immediately identified the two however they waited at the kiosk while the couple went to offer their prayers at the shrine. When the two were coming out, the police arrested the couple after chasing them for a short time.

On June 10, a group of miscreants reached the office of cash management services company, CMS Services and looted Rs 8.49 crore by holding the staff and security guards captive. After the robbery, the miscreants had decamped with the money along with a cash van from outside the office.

After arresting the couple on June 17, police recovered Rs 21 lakh from them. Till now, police have recovered Rs 6 crore out of Rs 8 crore that was looted. Also, nine people have been arrested in connection with the robbery, police said.