KARIMNAGAR: Using canal bund roads and internal routes to stay off the grid, miscreants involved in the PMJ Jewellery heist, in which armed robbers stole 1 kg of gold, are believed to have evaded police checks and fled the city, even as special teams intensify search operations. Officials, however, are yet to disclose the identities of the suspects.
Commissioner of Police Gaush Alam told TNIE that, “Verification of CCTV camera footage across the city is ongoing. The offenders are believed to have come from interior areas, and efforts are underway to trace their movements.”
According to the CP, some suspects have been identified in other states, with special teams dispatched for further verification. Preliminary investigation indicates that the accused did not take shelter locally and entered the city on the same day of the incident, carefully choosing canal bund roads, dirt tracks and internal routes to avoid CCTV surveillance.
The incident has posed a significant challenge to Karimnagar police, particularly as it involved the use of firearms, reportedly the first such instance in the region.
It may be recalled that in 2014, a similar robbery took place at an SBI branch in Choppadandi, where miscreants threatened staff while showing pistols and looted `46 lakh. Later, investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) revealed links to the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).