The cash van stopped at a red light when two thieves unlocked the rear door and entered.
It was a regular afternoon for 40-year-old security guard Arun Shukla. He was travelling in a cash van, keeping watch as it moved along the Mehrauli-Badarpur road in New Delhi today, carrying Rs 14 lakh in cash. As the van stopped at a red light, a scene straight-out-of a crime movie unfolded.
Two thieves, armed with just chilli powder, unlocked the back door of the White Tata Sumo and made their way inside. Seeing the guard, one of the thieves jumped to attack him. The guard and the thief tried to fight each other off, the police said.
Then, the security guard fired at the thief with his licensed rifle. It hit him in the head and he died on the spot, police said. His accomplice ran away.
News agency PTI reported that the van was carrying money collected from a toll plaza. The cashier, who was also in the van at the time of the incident, told police that he had collected around Rs 14 lakh from the Badarpur Border toll plaza and kept it in the van before heading for his office in Vasant Kunj.
DCP (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said that the police have not yet identified the thief who was shot dead by the guard. They are also examining CCTV footage for any clue about his accomplice who ran away. Police have also found traces of blood, chilli powder on the road.
(With inputs from PTI)