The Odisha police arrested five men in a gang robbery and recovered Rs 1.2 Crore cash after they staged a raid impersonating as CBI staff in Odisha’s capital city, said an official.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bhubaneswar Prateek Singh the police on Sunday arrested five men, after they had staged a raid at a home in Bhubaneswar on August 2.
The police stated that the five accused impersonated as CBI agents and made off with Rs 1.7 Crore in cash while holding the hostages at gunpoint.
The accused have been identified as Hemanta Kumar Dhir (32), Sanatan Nahak aka Sana (42), Arbaz Khan aka Bitu (22), Sanjaya Mallik aka Kalia (36) and Raja aka Ajmer Alli (48), said police.
Giving information about the robbery DCP Prateek Singh said, “On August 2, the complainant and his son were at home when five well-dressed men landed at their doorstep at around 8 pm. The five accused then identified themselves as CBI officers and pulled out a fake court order to enter the complainant’s house.”
“After entering the house, the goons tied the hands of the father and son and gagged their mouths. They took around Rs 1.7 crore in cash and some gold jewellery from the house,” DCP Prateek Singh said.
Police received a complaint the next morning (August 3) and formed a special team to crack the case. The special squad and Infocity police jointly worked to trace the robbers.
During a search at the complainant’s house, police found a bag that belonged to a man, who used to work as a driver at the complainant’s house.
While the driver is on the run, the police dug into his mobile phone records and detained some suspects.
After sustained interrogation, the police got evidence against the accused and learnt about the modus operandi.
“The driver, who is still on the run, was aware of the presence of huge amount of cash at the complainant’s house. He hatched a conspiracy to rob the house and contacted his associates. While nine people were involved in the robbery, five of them (excluding the driver) entered the complainant’s house,” the DCP said.
We are looking for four other members including the driver. Efforts are on to recover more money from them, DCP Singh said.