Mandeep Kaur and her husband Jaswinder Singh are alleged kingpins of the Ludhiana heist
A couple who allegedly masterminded a daring multi-crore heist were done in by their craving for a fruit-flavoured drink near Uttarakhand's Hemkund Sahib.
According to Punjab Police, Mandeep Kaur and her husband Jaswinder Singh are kingpins of the daring heist at the office of a cash management firm at Ludhiana. Armed robbers overpowered guards at the office of CMS Services on June 10 and stole Rs 8 crore in cash.
Following the robbery, Mandeep Kaur and Jaswinder Singh went on a pilgrimage to Sikh shrine Hemkund Sahib, apparently to thank God for the success of their mission, Ludhiana Police Commission Mandeep Singh Sidhu said.
Police had received information that the couple had planned to flee to Nepal, but a lookout notice blocked their plans. They then decided to visit Hemkund Sahib, Kedarnath and Haridwar before planning their next step.
According to police, even though they knew Mandeep Kaur and Jaswinder Singh were in Hemkund Sahib, the challenge was to identify them in the crowd of devotees.
A free drinks kiosk was set up and packets of a fruit-flavoured drink handed over to devotees. Unaware of the trap laid for them, the couple came to the kiosk, took their packs, uncovered their faces and sipped. The police identified them, but did not make any move. They waited for the couple to finish their prayers.
As they walked out of the shrine after their prayers, police moved to arrest them. The two were caught after a short chase.
Police Commissioner Sidhu said a sum of Rs 21 lakh was recovered from the couple. Out of the Rs 8-crore loot, a sum of nearly Rs 6 crore has been recovered by police so far. Police said they have arrested nine accused in the case.
Punjab Police Chief Gaurav Yadav said the kingpins of the Ludhiana heist were arrested in less than 100 hours. "Police teams used a professional & scientific approach to solve the multi-crore robbery," he added.
The Ludhiana Police's official Twitter handle said this must serve as a "chilling reminder for all anti-social elements".