Chennai: Police are probing the whereabouts of a 40-year-old driver with a cash transfer services firm who escaped with Rs 28 lakh from the van, when the staff were loading money in an ATM in city airport on Wednesday night.The driver has been identified as Udhaya Kumar of Tuticorin. Police investigations revealed that he joined as a driver in the firm only three days ago.
On Wednesday night, around 8.30 pm, the staff of the Writer Cash Management company arrived at the city airport to load money in a Canara bank ATM in the domestic terminal of the city airport, police sources said. The staff were ferrying Rs 65 lakh in the van and had loaded Rs 22 lakh at an ATM in Guindy before they arrived at the airport.
The security guard, Ziauddin (40) and staff- Rajkumar (24) of Maduranthagam and Karunakaran (32) of Urapakkam were loading the cash - Rs15 lakh while the driver was asked to wait in the parking area. After about 15 minutes, when they returned, the driver was not to be found in the parking area."Since, he was new to the job, the staff assumed that he might have parked the vehicle outside the airport. They looked for the van in the entire parking area all the while calling the driver on his mobile phone, which was switched off," a police officer said.
The van was found in the service road under the flyover outside the airport. However, much to their chagrin, they found that Udhayakumar and a cash box with Rs 28 lakh in it were missing after which they alerted their superiors. The security officer of the firm, Veerapandi, a former police officer, rushed to the scene and enquired the staff after which a police complaint was filed. Further investigations are on.
