KARIMNAGAR: Police probing the ₹1.61 kg gold and diamond jewellery robbery at a PMJ jewellery showroom in Karimnagar on May 8 have uncovered an organised interstate theft network allegedly operated by jailed accused Subodh Singh , also known as "The Golden Thief".
Gang allegedly operated through layered criminal network
Karimnagar police arrested Raghunath Karmakar, Ravish Kumar alias Pradyuman and alleged SIM card supplier Mehtab Khan in connection with the robbery. The accused were remanded to judicial custody.
Police Commissioner Gaush Alam said the network had separate modules for arranging weapons, vehicles and disposing of stolen jewellery. Investigators found that gang members were allegedly paid salaries and incentives based on the value of stolen property.
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According to police, Subodh Singh coordinated the operation from Pune jail. Officers said they would seek his custody for further questioning.
Accused surveyed towns weeks before robbery
Police said gang members spent nearly 45 days surveying jewellery stores in Karimnagar, Peddapalli and Siddipet before selecting the PMJ showroom as the target. They allegedly stayed in lodges using fake Aadhaar cards and false identities.
Investigators said the group chose rural roads with limited CCTV coverage and created customised Google Maps routes to escape after the robbery. Five accused fled on two motorcycles after the crime.
Police said some accused later abandoned their mobile phones near Dharmapuri on the banks of the Godavari river and crossed the river on foot before dispersing to different locations.
Special app used for communication
Police said the gang used a dedicated mobile application to exchange information related to the robbery. Investigators found that one member uploaded a photograph of a gold chain to the app to signal the start of the robbery inside the jewellery showroom.
According to the police, the gang members did not know each other's real identities and addressed one another only through names mentioned on fake Aadhaar cards to avoid detection during investigations.
Officials said the accused procured SIM cards near the Jharkhand-West Bengal border for ₹10,000 each and used fake vehicle registration plates to mislead police.
Police seized ₹51,000 in cash, two mobile phones, SIM cards and fake Aadhaar cards from the arrested accused. The stolen gold jewellery has not yet been recovered.
Commissioner Gaush Alam said 20 police teams comprising 182 personnel were involved in the investigation to trace the remaining accused.