KARIMNAGAR: Police intensified the investigation into the robbery of nearly 1.5 kg of gold from a jewellery showroom in Karimnagar on May 3, tracing the movements of the accused through Jagtial district's Dharmapuri town.
Investigators suspect a five-member gang from Bihar stayed at a private lodge in Dharmapuri from May 1 and conducted reconnaissance in Karimnagar before executing the robbery. Police believe the gang travelled to Karimnagar through interior canal bunds and mud roads in Gollapalli and Pegadapalli mandals to avoid CCTV surveillance on the main highway.
Gang abandons bikes near Godavari riverbank
Police on Tuesday recovered a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle near the Dharmapuri Pushkar Ghat. Investigators suspect the accused abandoned the vehicle there, crossed the Godavari river on foot and escaped towards Maharashtra.
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Another section of the gang is believed to have crossed the Godavari bridge near Kammunur in Beerpur mandal and fled towards the Jannaram forest region using other vehicles.
Police teams are examining CCTV footage from the lodge where the accused stayed and from routes across Dharmapuri and Karimnagar districts.
The recovered bike carried registration number TS09 FG 6876, which police found belonged to a Baleno car registered in Hyderabad. However, checks using the chassis and engine numbers revealed that the motorcycle was originally registered in Delhi. Police suspect the gang used fake number plates.
Bihar gang members identified through database
Police sources said three members of the gang were identified through criminal databases as Shabuddin, Anand and Imtiyaz, all reportedly from Bihar. Investigators suspect the gang had been operating from Maharashtra while carrying out robberies in different states.
Sixteen police teams have been deployed in Bihar, Maharashtra and other locations to trace the accused.
According to CCTV footage, the gang reached the PMJ Jewellery showroom area in Karimnagar on May 1 and surveyed the premises. The suspects were also reportedly seen near Satavahana University on the same day.
Police said the robbery took place at around 11.12 am on Sunday. CCTV footage later captured the gang moving through Mothe Rudraram in Ramadugu mandal at 11.35 am and near the Pegadapalli canal at 12.13 pm. Investigators believe the accused returned to Dharmapuri between 1 pm and 1.30 pm before abandoning the motorcycles and escaping in another vehicle.
Police suspect local link in robbery
Investigators suspect one member of the gang could be from the undivided Karimnagar district. CCTV footage showed an Apache motorcycle carrying two persons leading the way, while a Pulsar carrying three others followed behind.
Police believe the rider of the Apache motorcycle was familiar with the local terrain and escape routes. Jewellery showroom staff also told investigators that one of the accused spoke Telugu during the robbery, strengthening suspicions of local involvement.
The gang remains at large more than two days after the robbery.