In a brazen act of robbery, two masked assailants looted ₹1.17 lakh from the cinema hall after a late-night screening of Pushpa-2.
Photo: SNS
The runaway success of Allu Arjun’s blockbuster Pushpa-2 may have shattered box office records, but its popularity also attracted an unwelcome audience at Mukta Multiplex in Durg, Chhattisgarh.
In a brazen act of robbery, two masked assailants looted ₹1.17 lakh from the cinema hall after a late-night screening of Pushpa-2.
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The incident occurred in the Purani Bhilai police station area early Monday morning, following a packed show that ended around 2 a.m. Exploiting the film’s overwhelming success, the robbers executed their plan meticulously. Armed with a knife, they assaulted the lone security guard, Nohar Devangan, before locking him.
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Arriving on a motorcycle, the two masked robbers entered the multiplex at around 4 a.m. When confronted by the security guard, they beat him severely and held a knife to his throat.
Forcing him to hand over the keys to the lockers, the robbers made off with the contents— ₹52,000 from one locker and ₹65,000 from another.
The ordeal came to light when staff arrived later in the morning to find the cinema hall’s main door ajar. Upon hearing the guard’s cries from the locked room, they alerted the manager, Deepak Kumar, who immediately informed the police.
The robbers left no trace of their activities within the cinema hall, even stealing the CCTV DVR to erase evidence. However, footage from nearby security cameras shows two masked individuals entering the multiplex premises, confirming the timeline of events.
The police have registered a case and launched a search for the culprits, relying on external footage to track their movements.
While fans continue to celebrate the film’s success, cinema hall owners and law enforcement agencies now face a new challenge, ensuring the safety of cash and personnel during these high-earning days of the blockbuster movie.
With the investigation underway, authorities are urging multiplexes to tighten their security protocols and implement more robust surveillance measures.
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