Robbers loot 40kg Muthoot gold
5 impersonate as CBI men for heist in city
In what seems like a scene straight out of the Akshay Kumar starrer Special 26, a gang of robbers pulled off the biggest gold heist in Telangana state’s history by posing as CBI officers and stealing 40 kg of gold from Muthoot Finance, located at Ramachandrapuram on the outskirts of the city.
Five members of the gang, wielding guns, walked into the building claiming to be conducting a raid to investigate transactions after demonetisation. They just took the gold and walked out after locking the employees in the bathroom. Before leaving, they broke the CCTVs and took away the memory backup of the branch. They also walked off with `1 lakh in cash. The modus operandi is akin to the 2013 movie Special 26 where a group posing as CBI officials raids a jewellery store in Mumbai.
According to Cyberabad police, the theft took place at 9 am, soon after the branch was opened. The gang came in a black Scorpio car, walked into the building and introduced themselves as CBI officers, who were conducting a raid.
“Two members of the gang told the employees that they wanted to verify the total cash and money in this branch. Another person from the gang said they were also investigating a theft that had occurred in Muthoot Finance,” said a senior officer with the Cyberabad police.
ON FEBRUARY 4 last year, a gang had looted 5 kg of gold from Muthoot Mini Finance located in Bheeramguda, RC Puram. In this, the police still suspects involvement of the SIMI operatives killed in the Janakipuram encounter later. The case remains unsolved.
Police, who had concluded that it’s no handiwork of a street criminal gang, are probing which professional gang is involved in the Muthoot case.
Since a Jharkhand native was arrested earlier for a similar heist that targeted Muthoot Finance in another branch in the same area, police is looking at the angle of involvement of a gang from central India.
The cops are also investigating if the gang had links with any terror outfits. In the last two years, Muthoot officers across the country have been targeted by robbers multiple times.
In February, 2014, burglars had targeted Muthooot Finance building at Zaheerabad town and escaped with seven kilos gold ornaments and more than `13 lakh cash. But on the same day of the heist, police arrested a person named Ashok Sharma, 25, a native of Jam Nagar village, Saheb Gunj Mandal of Jharkand state, while he was boarding a bus at Mahathma Gandhi Bus station in Hyderabad with the booty. He was the only one arrested in the case, rest were absconding. Police now probe if the same gang is behind the robbery.
On Wednesday, after the gang fled with the 40 kg gold from the Muthoot branch in RC Puram, the police arrived at the spot. Clues teams and fingerprint experts collected the specimens as part of the probe. They also collected the CCTV footage from other buildings located in surrounding areas. GANGSTERS
Cyberabad police commissioner Sandeep Shandilya said 16 teams have been formed to track down the culprits. Police were trying to identify the con men by analysing the footage from CCTV they got so far. “We are in the process of finding the accused and verifying CCTV footage. Special AT LARGE OFFENDER -1 : DRESSED LIKE a sardarji - wearing black safari dress and light brown shoe, Light blackish / brownish turban (Pagdi). Height – 5’ 10”. Wore shoe –, He carried short arm like pistol. OFFENDER 3 teams have been formed to trace the accused,” Shandilya said.
Police officials said that gang fled along the Hyderabad-Mumbai highway from Ramachandrapuram to Zaheerabad town in Sangareddy district. Sources say that they may have easily cross the border by the time police started their search. OFFENDER 4 OFFENDER-2 IN TRAFFIC cop getup. Aged about 35 – 40 years. He wore white shirt and light black trouser. height 5’-7” In safari dress. Height 6 feet. He wielded short weapon like pistol, carried handcuffs HE WORE a mask Initially, but then took it off and wore a monkey cap. Height – 5’6” – 30 to 35 years- Posed has thief, slightly bald headed Offender 5:
He wore a military cap and a white full sleeve shirt. He also carried multiple bags and a blanket. IT TOOK 45 minutes for the employees to alert the cops after robbers fled the area. LAST YEAR in May, an armed INVOLVEMENT OF robbery by a gang at Muthoot SIMI operatives in Branch Hydernagar, Muthoot robberies Kukatpally failed as the were earlier probed, employee's resisted. The case but so far not remains undetected. proved. THE GANG used fake number plate. The registration number belongs to a Bajaj Chetak schooter. PREVIOUS ROBBERIES AT MUTHOOT December 26,: August 16, 2016:
`90 lakh looted from Muthoot branch in Gujarat.
5.5 kg gold stolen from Muthoot Fincorp in Salem of TN.
They told the manager that a thief had disposed looted gold in this branch and they need to verify. To convince the employees the gang carried handcuffs. One of them was acting as a thief wearing a monkey cap.
The gang also told the manager that they need to verify the accounts recorded after demonetisation.