Rs 20 lakh looted in broad daylight

CUTTACK: The city on Saturday witnessed a brazen robbery in a crowded thoroughfare, when miscreants looted Rs 20 lakh in cash from employees of a transport company in broad daylight at Haripur Road.  According to reports, the two employees - Srihari Behera and Srimant Panda - had withdrawn the money from the HDFC Bank Bajrakabati branch at around 11 am and were going to deliver it to one of the owners when the incident occurred. Behera and Panda worked for the Agarwal Transport Company at Mangalabag.   On Saturday morning, the owner Ramchandra Agarwal asked the two to get the money from the bank and deliver it to his brother Damodar who stayed at Haripur Road. The two had gone to the bank on a scooter and withdrawn the money.  As they arrived at Haripur Road and were about to turn to the house, they were apprehended by two miscreants on a motorcycle. They snatched the money bag and fled. The employees reported that they were dragged about 100 feet as they tried to hold on to the bag. The road was crowded  at the time but the miscreants managed to flee.Purighat police have registered a case.