Man abducted from outside SBI, robbed of MVR 130,000

A private sector employee was abducted from outside the State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Boduthakurufaanu Magu of Male’ City, and robbed of MVR 130,000 he had just cashed from company cheques.

The crime took place on the afternoon of last Thursday, December 26.

The victim is an expatriate who works for a tourism sector business.

One of his colleagues told Sun that he had been grabbed by a group of people in a car as soon as he had exited the bank after cashing the cheques. They had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him into the car.

“He said that he had been stopped by a car while on his way back to the office after collecting the money, pushed into it, and then taken wherever he had been taken,” said the colleague.

The victim told his colleague that the car he had been forced into had been a taxi, and that he was forced to bow his head and keep his gaze low so he may not identify the exact location he was being taken to.

There had been three men inside the taxi; the driver and two others. All three had been unmasked.

The victim was taken to suburban Hulhumale’ and into a room in an unknown location, where he was forced to hand over the money he had at knife-point.

He sustained stab wounds to his hands in the incident.

He was released by the muggers at around sunset, near the half-way house in Hulhumale’ – an isolated area which had been the scene of multiple crimes including at least two murders.

The case has been reported to police by the company which the victim works for. The police confirm it is investigating the crime.

Employees carrying company money are frequently targeted by criminals. Millions were stolen in two snatch thefts in March; the first of which had taken place outside the SBI office and resulted in loss of MVR 2.3 million in BHM Traders’ money, and the other which had taken place on the streets when a MIFCO van transporting MVR 2 million had been stopped and robbed.

The police have appealed to businesses to seek its assistance and escort when transporting money to avoid such losses.