Seven arrested in Kohadapir robbery case

BAREILLY

: In a major breakthrough, the crime branch claimed to have arrested seven accused in connection with the Kohadapir loot case from Sithora on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.


According to police, nine people had robbed three salesmen of a jeweller of Rs 15 lakh who were on their way to railway station in an auto-rickshaw in the wee hours on January 7. In the ensued gun

battle

with police, two accused were killed while seven escaped.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Muniraj G said, “Acting on a tip-off, a crime branch team along with four policemen raided the accused’s hideout in Sithora village and arrested them. Police also seized three country-made pistols, eight mobile phones, two vehicles used in the crime.

“The accused have been identified as Wakeel Ahmad of Dhwradanda village, Tanveer from Banjariya Jageer village, Faisal of Bhojipura, Surendra Kumar of Basudharan village, Santosh Kumar from Bankhana Crossing area, and Amit Kumar Soni of Chupla Crossing area — all labourers.”

SSP further said, “During interrogation, Ahmad, the kingpin, disclosed that on January 16, he and eight of his aides hatched a conspiracy to rob the salesmen. Soni, the

auto driver

of jeweller Monoj Agarwal, informed them about the cash bag and the timing when Anoop’s three salesmen would go to the Bareilly station. Around 4am on January 17, when the salesmen were on their way to the railway station with a bag stashed with Rs 15 lakh cash to catch a train to Delhi, the accused waylaid the auto-rickshaw at Kohadapir crossing and snatched the bag from their possession. When one of the salesmen tried to stop them, one of the accused, Ashok, open fired at him, injuring him critically.”

“As police chased the robbers, a gun battle ensued and two accused Ashok and Kapil were killed, while others escaped. An FIR was lodged against all the seven accused under sections 412 (dishonestly receiving property stolen in the commission of a dacoity), 395 (dacoity), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the

Indian Penal Code

(IPC) and sections of the Arms Act,” added SSP.


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