Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: Some cash collection agents are afraid to go to work and one global security firm has reported a 300 per cent increase in enquiries after the murders of two Indian expats in just over a month.
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Security experts are warning companies not to use their employees to carry too much cash in the wake of the brutal murder of a cash collector who was found with his throat slit. Two back-to-back murders of Indian expats have left the community on edge, according to activists.
“I am very much concerned about the current situation; there will be only two staff at our petrol station for the night shifts,”an Indian expat, who works at a petrol station in Adam, said.
“After the commission of the new roads, our petrol station has become isolated,” the Indian expat told the Times of Oman.
“Carrying large amounts of cash could bring you harm – much like the case with the murder of the expatriate in Muttrah a few days ago,” a senior official of Royal Oman Police (ROP) said.
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Satyan, 50, who was working as a foreman in a company in Oman, was found dead in Muttrah recently. His throat had been cut and he had put up a fight to stop bandits taking his company’s cash. He had worked for more than 10 years collecting cash payments from suppliers in Muscat.
His relatives believe that he had a lot of money with him when he was killed.
“Carrying cash was normal for him and he was doing this job for more than 10 years and he never feared anything would happen to him. He never said that he is afraid to carry money,” his relatives said on Thursday.
They also said Satyan used to carry a plastic bag in which he kept his purse, which had the company’s daily collections, and he used to travel only in orange and white taxis.
The Royal Oman Police immediately launched a murder hunt and two Bangladeshi nationals were detained for questioning.
They had reportedly been spotted hanging around Satyan’s apartment and both had failed to turn up for work the morning after the murder.
His body will be repatriated within days, according to one of the officials from the company in which Satyan worked.
He refused to comment on the amount of money Satyan carried home.
Ibri fuel station attendant John Philip was reported missing from work on June 11 and found dead with bullet wounds on June 15, in what police have described as a robbery gone wrong.
CCTV cameras at his place of work were destroyed and his body taken from the filling station and dumped.
Six Omani nationals were soon arrested by the Royal Oman Police suspected of committing robbery, kidnap and murder.
The violent murders, committed in such a short timescale and in a country not known for such serious offences, have shaken the Indian expat community.
Some have taken to social media to vent their fears, and frustration.
Vinod Pilania, Senior Sales Manager in Muscat for one of the world’s leading international security solutions groups - G4S Security Services - said that people should refrain from carrying cash and if they are carrying large amounts they should take the help of ROP.
“Companies and individuals should make use of Security and Safety Services if they are carrying cash,” he said.
Security and Safety Services (SSS) is the only security agency in Oman licenced by the ROP and government to provide cash security services.
The cash-in-transit service is available to all public and private organisations within the Sultanate.
“Utilising the latest technology with regard to vehicles, tamper-proof receptacles and communications, SSS’ highly trained staff ensure a prompt, safe, secure and guaranteed service for collections, transfers and deliveries of cash and valuables in accordance with clients’ stipulated instructions,” its website states.
The company escorts large amounts of cash with the help of two security personnel, one of whom is armed, in their vehicle.
Nagarja Nara, head of the business development of Majees Technical Services, which provides security solutions and consultancy services in Oman, said people travelling or staying alone should remain alert if they are carrying cash. “But we always suggest that collection agents should return their collection to office and not keep anything at home,” he said.
He said employees should refuse the company’s request if they ask that cash be taken to the home of an employee.
Vinod Pilania said G4S has witnessed a 300 per cent increase in enquiries in 2016 compared to 2015 in Oman. “We are installing more cameras and alarm system in houses these days so that people can monitor their homes even if they are away from their home,” he said.
The Indian community is concerned following two back to back incidents of murder. “We are worried and money collection agents are now scared to carry on their jobs,” said Mohammad Osama Rawat, a social worker.
