Inter-state gang may be behind 30 kg gold heist

Nagpur: An interstate gang, with a local conduit, may have been behind the over Rs9.30crore heist at Manappuram Finance Limited branch at Bheem Chowk in Jaripatka on Saturday.
Armed dacoits had decamped with Rs3.01 lakh cash and 30kg gold valued at around Rs9.30 crore at gunpoint. One of the dacoits, spotted in the CCTV footage, seemed to be from Raipur in Chhattisgarh. He has previous records in such armed heists looting substantial cash.
The city police, apart from analysing call detail records (CDR), are trying to collect as much CCTV footage from different source cameras installed in the adjoining premises of the finance company as possible.
One of the CCTV footages, along with some local versions, has confirmed that six dacoits had arrived on four bikes. The cops are trying to figure out their registration numbers from the indistinct CCTV footages. Cops are also trying to find out abandoned bikes presuming that the gang may not take chance of continuing with the same two-wheelers for the rest of their journey to avoid getting caught.
The CCTV footages have also revealed that the gang, most of whom had their faces uncovered, had headed towards Kamptee using the Ring Road. A section of cops feels that it is most unlikely that the gang would halt, somewhere in the vicinity, until they would reach deep into other states to avoid city police and its network in the districts.
According to a senior officer, the cops are now trying to focus on various gangs from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, Bihar and UP. “The images retrieved from the CCTV footages have already been circulated and shared with counterparts from other states and requested their feedback. An interesting feedback has been received from Raipur police regarding a suspect who looks like a goon who has been earlier jailed for similar heists there. He has gone underground after being released from jail,” said the officer.
It’s learnt that around 10 squads, including four from Jaripatka police, have been formed to detect the case. Crime branch too has started a vigorous search at the different entry and exits points of the city including toll nakas, dabhas and liquor bars along the highways