Meerut, Dec. 16 -- In a daylight robbery, bike-borne criminals looted Rs.85 lakh at gunpoint from the accountant of a ghee and edible oil trader near Saraswati Medical College on the Hapur-Ghaziabad Highway in Hapur on Monday. The incident has triggered panic among traders and commuters, as the accused managed to flee despite the crime occurring on a busy stretch of the highway.

According to the police, the victim, Ajay Pal, a resident of Dadri, works as an accountant for ghee and oil trader Gopal. On Monday, Ajay Pal had collected payments from two traders in Hapur- Rs.55 lakh from one and Rs.30 lakh from another-and was returning to Ghaziabad on his motorcycle via the highway.

As Ajay Pal reached the flyover near Saraswati Medical Col...