HYDERABAD: Rachakonda police here today claimed to have cracked the sensational case, in which a gang had allegedly looted cigarettes worth Rs 4 crore from a container truck last month, with the arrest of four persons from Madhya Pradesh recently.
Based on a tip-off, a police party arrested the accused Raja Ram, Sunil Chavda, Hakam Singh and Raja Babu from Dewas bus station in Madhya Pradesh last week, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M Bhagwat said.
"On the night of August 19, when the cigarette-laden container truck was proceeding from Musheerabad area here and reached the Outer Ring Road (ORR) under Hayathnagar police station limits, around 30 persons, who came in two four-wheelers and four lorries, waylaid the container, dragged the driver out and tied his hands and legs," he said.
Thereafter, they unloaded the container and shifted the cigarette cartons into their lorries and fled from the spot, the commissioner added.
Following a complaint, a case under IPC section 395 (dacoity) was registered and special teams were formed, he said.
After collecting the CCTV footages from all the toll gates from Deglur (Maharashtra) to Ananthapur (in Andhra Pradesh) and ORR, the special teams examined some old offenders, visited Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh states in connection with the probe," Bhagwat said.
The police teams finally identified notorious Kanjar Gang of Dewas, who are committing similar highway dacoities of cigarette-loaded containers and lorries, he said.
Police arrested four accused and seized the vehicles involved in transporting the cigarettes.
Efforts are on to nab other absconding accused, Bhagwat said.