CHENNAI: A man carrying Rs 13 lakh in cash, suspected to be hawala money, was rounded up by a gang who assaulted and robbed him near Aminjikarai on Friday night.

Onlookers who noticed the commotion managed to chase and catch two of the gang members while the others escaped with the cash.

Sebastian Vijay Babu (38) of NSK Nagar, Arumbakkam, told police that he had collected the money from a shop in Parrys Corner on his employer's instructions and was taking it to hand over to a client when he was robbed.

While Sebastian was travelling through Maraimalai Adigal Street in Aminjikarai, six men on three motorcycles intercepted him, assaulted him and snatched the cash. The two who were caught by the public have been identified as Abdul Azeez (27) of Royapuram, and Rohit (20) of Washermenpet.

The police said both have previous criminal cases and are also investigating if the stolen cash was part of a hawala transaction. Investigators said Sebastian had been collecting money from various individuals and delivering it to designated recipients for commission over the past two years.