How free drink helped cops nab mastermind behind Rs 8.49 crore Ludhiana robbery

The city of Ludhiana recently became the stage for an enthralling criminal thriller, when a couple, accused in connection with a Rs 8.49-crore heist, was nabbed by the police on Saturday. Fugitive Mandeep Kaur and her husband Jaswinder Singh fell into the clutches of the law on their way back from the pilgrimage site to pay obeisance for the success of their heist plan.Interestingly, a flavoured drink worth Rs 10 has played an important role in helping the police nab the accused behind the crime. Let’s take a closer look at the daring heist at the office of a cash management firm at Ludhiana and how the duo ended up caught.How police arrested them?The gang members who executed the heist had vowed to go on pilgrimage to different religious places such as Haridwar, Hemkund Sahib and Kedarnath “after the successful execution of the robbery.”They were arrested at Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand's Chamoli. On Friday, Ludhiana police had launched an operation 'Let’s Cage the Queen Bee' to nab Mandeep. Five police teams were after the mastermind.Ludhiana Police Commissioner Mandeep Singh Sidhu said that a team led by Inspector Beant Juneja and Inspector Kulwant Singh worked 24x7, travelled throughout the night to Uttarakhand to arrest Mandeep Kaur and Jaswinder Singh. Because the two were not using phones, the police captured them using human intelligence and information from counter-intelligence wing.The couple had plans to visit Kedarnath and Haridwar as well, he added.Sidhu said the police had received information that the two may escape to a foreign country via Nepal but due to the issuance of a lookout notice, they could not succeed.According to police, a sum of Rs 21 lakh was also recovered from their possession.Their accomplice Gaurav alias Gulshan was also arrested from Gidderbaha, said police, adding that a total of nine accused have been arrested till now.Armed robbers had decamped with cash stated to be more than Rs 8 crore from the office of CMS Securities, a cash management services company, in Ludhiana's New Rajguru Nagar locality on 10 June after overpowering security guards.Earlier, police had managed to arrest six of the accused in the case and Rs 5.75 crore was recovered from them. Among the heaviest recoveries, police had recovered Rs 1.50 crore from Manjinder Singh, who works in CMS company, while another Rs 2.25 crore was recovered from the couple’s Cruz vehicle which was used in the crime.Sidhu added that the company continues to stand by its earlier figure claiming loot of Rs 8.49 crore after re-checking its records.How did the free drink service helped?Even though authorities knew Mandeep Kaur and Jaswinder Singh were in Hemkund Sahib, the issue was identifying them among the crowd of devotees. So, the police came up with a plan to hold a free drink service for pilgrims.Unaware of the trap, the pair approached the kiosk, got their packs, uncovered their faces, and sipped. However, the police did not immediately arrest them despite their identification. Police let them pay obeisance at Hemkund Sahib. As they walked out of the shrine after their prayers, police moved to arrest them after a short chase.So far, investigations have revealed that Mandeep Kaur, also known as 'Daaku Haseena', desired to be wealthy. She had previously worked as an insurance agent and an assistant to a lawyer. She married her second husband, Jaswinder Singh, in February of this year. Her first marriage was in 2018 which ended in divorce.Punjab Police Chief Gaurav Yadav said the kingpins of the Ludhiana heist were arrested in less than 100 hours, reports NDTV. "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".With inputs from PTIRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.