Kakinada, Mar 8 (Representative) The Kakinada district police have unraveled the mystery behind the robbery in the state Bank of India (SBI) branch of Uttara Kanchi, a remote village, that created a sensation all over the state in recent times. As against the seven-member gang, mostly from other states, four were arrested, and a hunt is on for the remaining three, including the kingpin. The robbery has posed a great challenge to the district police, as the gangsters destroyed all the clues, including the CC camera network, alarm system, and even the vehicle used for transportation, which was fixed with a fake number plate. Superintendent of Police S. Sathish Kumar told media persons at the district police office here on Thursday that as many as nine special teams were deployed to unearth the whereabouts of the gang and also to recover the stolen property.` In the preliminary inquiry, it was found out that the Maharashtra Gang was involved in the robbery. Teams were sent to Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, and four of the seven member gangs were nabbed, enlisting the support and cooperation of the local police there. However, three others are still at large, including the kingpin of the gang. Gold jewelry weighing one kg and cash worth Rs. 1.19,700 were recovered from them, he added. Explaining the modus operandi of the gang, SP Sathish Kumar said the kingpin’s target was the state Bank of India branches in rural areas, especially in remote areas, and used Google Maps to identify the vulnerable branches and plan accordingly.
The leader of the gang, prior to committing the robbery of Utter Kanchi, visited Mandapeta and stayed in a lodge under the guise of doing blanket business. However, he shifted from Mandapeta to Samalkot as Mandapet was not congenial for his operation. They purchased the gas cutter and other equipment in Kakinada and stole the oxygen gas cylinder from Balabhadrapuram village in Biccavolu mandal. On February 7 at midnight, they committed the robbery in the bank in Uttara Kanchi as planned, gaining entry by cutting the back door window. Later, of the four bank lockers, they cut two lockers with gas cutters and took away Rs. 27,34,032/- in cash and Rs. Rs.1,18,84,296/- worth of gold jewelry weighing 3 kg and 280 grams. They took the cash counting machine and gold weighing machine along with them, leaving the gas cylinder and other implements in the bank. On reaching the rented house in Samalkot, they weighed the gold ornaments, counted the cash with the counting machine, and shared among themselves. Later, the gang divided into two batches, and four of them left for Maharashtra by car and three for Uttar Pradesh by train. The names of the accused arrested are: 1) Danveer (25), Haspoor Huria village, Badani district, Uttar Pradesh; 2) Akshay Gajanan Ambore (25), Nygav village, Buldhana district, Maharashtra. Vybhav Narayanrao (23), Yerla village, Amravati district, Maharashtra, and Harish Miland Gaikwad (23), Nygav village, Buldhana district, Maharashtra. SP Sathish Kumar has attributed the success to the teamwork of the entire district police. Along with the SP, Peddapuram DSP K Lathakumary, Special Branch DSP Sri Chavvakula Sriramakoteswerarao, CI Prathipadu M Sekhara Babu, SI Routhulapudi MD Abdul Nabi, and ,SI Prathipadu M Pavan Kumar were among those who attended the event along with the SP.