A courier company vehicle carrying silver worth Rs.3.5 crore from Agra to Delhi was looted by armed bandits in Mathura district late Sunday night, police said.
According to the Mathura police, the bandits were following the courier van in a Bolero from Agra. The gang hijacked the van and tied the driver and the security guard with ropes. But on the way to Aligarh, the gang members, fearing a security check by the police, left the courier company van on the road, and fled in the dead of the night.
The driver and the guard told the police that the Bolero overtook their van once they crossed Chatikara near Vrindavan, and forced them to stop. Five or six members of the gang hit the window panes with the butt of a weapon and overpowered the duo. Their hands were tied and mouths taped.
The courier van was carrying 36 cartons of silver. Of these, 29 were taken away by the armed gang.
The police later said seven cartons weighing 55 kg were left behind in the courier van. This lot has been brought to the Khair police station in Aligarh district. The rifle magazine, mobiles, and some cash from the driver and security guard were also reported missing.
Agra and Mathura districts are major centres of inter-state silver trading. The silver is used in Mathura by ornament makers, especially silver anklets which are in great demand in south India.