4 from notorious Kanjar gang held for cigarette heist

Four members of the Kanjar gang of Madhya Pradesh, one of the most-wanted robbery gangs in the country, have been arrested by the Rachakonda police.

HYDERABAD: Four members of the Kanjar gang of Madhya Pradesh, one of the most-wanted robbery gangs in the country, have been arrested by the Rachakonda police. This is the first time any member of the gang has been arrested, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat told media on Friday. The gang had been involved in crimes committed in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, he said.The four men were arrested in connection with the highway heist of `4 crore-worth cigarettes belonging to ITC Ltd which were being transported from Hyderabad to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh last month. The cigarettes were not recovered as the gang is said to have sold them within two days of the robbery. 


According to police, after the robbery on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) in the wee hours of August 20, the accused shifted the consignment of 647 cartons of cigarettes into three lorries and traveled towards Degloor in Maharashtra. They had dispersed from Degloor even before the police received a complaint from Akhilesh Yadav, driver of the container that was robbed. 


 From analysis of CCTV camera footage from toll gates at national highways, police said they noticed a Toyota Innova following the lorries. Based on the vehicle’s registration number, the police learnt that the robbers were from Dewas town.  Police raided a farmhouse at Dewas on September 10, and apprehended the four accused, while some others escaped, police said. On questioning, the police could trace only four lorries. The masterminds Rajan and Manoj Sisodia are still at large, police said. The arrested accused Rajaram Malvi (52), Hakam Singh (45), Sunil Chavda (44) and K Raja Babu (22), are from Dewas district of MP. 

Robberies worth `50 crore?
Police said that the gang, which hails from Madhya Pradesh, had stolen property worth `50 crore in heists from across the country. They were known for  robbing only goods vehicles carrying textiles, pesticides and cigarettes. 

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