Rajasthan trader looted of Rs 64 lakh at gunpoint on busy National Highway-9; 2nd case in 45 days

MEERUT: Three masked men on a scooter looted Rs 64 lakh at gunpoint from a Rajasthan-based rice trader near GS Medical College on the busy National Highway-9 under Pilkhuwa Kotwali of Hapur district. Just 45 days ago, Rs 85 lakh was looted from a collection agent of a sugar trader at almost the same location.Rakesh Rajput, a resident of Sikar district in Rajasthan, had come to Hapur on Saturday to collect money from his business partner Vaibhav Shukla. He was returning to Delhi with Rs 64 lakh when around 3:30 pm the robbers intercepted his vehicle and one of them fired in the air before snatching two bags containing Rs 64 lakh. The criminals then sped away.Senior police officers, including additional director general (ADG) Bhanu Bhaskar and deputy inspector general (DIG) Kalanidhi Naithani, arrived at the crime spot to review the situation and issued instructions for an expedited investigation. "Footage from over 200 CCTV cameras installed on highways, toll plazas and nearby areas have been scanned so far. Eight police teams are working on the case," said ADG Bhasker on Sunday.Three cops, including SHO of Pilakhua police station, have been suspended for dereliction of duty, said police on Sunday.Notably, this was the second such incident of loot in the past 45 days. On Dec 15, criminals on a car and a bike knocked an accountant of a sugar trader, Ajay Pal, off his motorcycle on the Saraswati Medical College flyover and looted Rs 85 lakh after injuring him with a knife. Police later identified eight robbers with the help of CCTV footage and arrested them. Just Rs 68 lakh could be recovered from the arrested men.