KARIMNAGAR: Police have arrested three accused in connection with the sensational daylight robbery at PMJ Jewellers in Karimnagar, in which armed men opened fire and escaped with gold and diamond ornaments worth Rs 82.02 lakh.
Police said the interstate gang allegedly operated under the direction of notorious criminal Subodh Singh alias “The Golden Thief”, currently lodged in Purnea Jail in Bihar.
The arrested accused were identified as Raghunath Karmakar (41), a resident of Mallikpada in West Bengal, against whom seven criminal cases, including robbery, murder and Arms Act offences, are pending; Raveesh Kumar (23), from Gaval Bhiga village in Bihar, who allegedly has 15 criminal cases against him; and Mehtab Khan (32), from Paschim Bardhaman in West Bengal, who allegedly supplied SIM cards to the gang for Rs 10,000 each. Police said Karmakar was arrested on Wednesday. Special investigation teams using technical surveillance identified 13 accused persons so far, police said.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Commissioner of Police Gaush Alam said the robbery was planned by an interstate criminal network allegedly headed by Subodh Singh, who had earlier operated from Beur Jail before being shifted to Purnea Jail. Police said the gang used a special mobile application to evade surveillance and police tracking.
Investigators said all gang members involved in the robbery had criminal background before joining Subodh Singh’s syndicate, which allegedly targeted jewellery shops and banks across Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Telangana and Maharashtra.
The CP said gang members conducted recce operations in Khammam, Siddipet, Peddapalli and Karimnagar districts for nearly two months before executing the robbery. To avoid detection, they allegedly used fake Aadhaar cards, duplicate vehicle registration plates and stayed in private lodges in Peddapalli, Siddipet and Dharmapuri.
Before carrying out the robbery, the accused allegedly procured country-made pistols from Chandrapur in Maharashtra on May 2.
On May 3, armed robbers allegedly opened fire at the PMJ Jewellers showroom, injuring four employees, and escaped with 161.4 tolas of gold ornaments and 112 carats of diamond ornaments worth Rs 82.02 lakh. According to police, one of the accused first entered the showroom pretending to be a customer and assessed the situation. The remaining gang members later came in and threatened employees with weapons, and allegedly opened fire when staff resisted. The gang then escaped on motorcycles with a jewellery bag.
The CP added that Karmakar and another gang member travelled on a motorcycle carrying the jewellery bag to the Gundala forest area, where they allegedly handed over the bag and the bike to associates travelling in a car before escaping to Bihar through the nearest railway station. Officials said communication among gang members was carried out entirely through a special mobile application.
The three accused were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. The CP said efforts were on to arrest Subodh Singh, Radhe Mishra, Suryamani Kumar and other absconding gang members. Search operations are underway in multiple states, and efforts are being made to bring Subodh Singh to Karimnagar on a transit warrant.
Police seized SIM cards, Rs 51,000 in cash, mobile phones and fake Aadhaar cards from the accused. Investigators said several lapses during the execution of the robbery helped police trace the network despite the gang escaping with the ornaments.
The CP said the investigation was being closely monitored by DGP CV Anand and senior police officials. Around 132 police personnel were involved in the investigation, and police teams travelled across nine states to trace the gang.
A case was registered at Karimnagar Two Town police station under Sections 310(2), 311 and 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 25(1)(a) and 27 of the Indian Arms Act.
“I appreciate the Karimnagar police teams for making the impossible possible and successfully chasing the robbery network,” Gaush Alam said.