Karimnagar heist: Robbers likely fled to Maha, suspect cops

Hyderabad: Almost a week after five armed robbers broke into a jewellery shop in Karimnagar, firing at four people before decamping with cash and gold, the accused remain at large, with the police now suspecting some of them may have fled to Maharashtra.According to Karimnagar police commissioner Gaush Alam, the police received significant clues and dispatched teams to different states across the country to nab the accused. "All the accused have prior criminal history. The five armed robbers were last spotted in Dharmapuri, where they stayed for a day before they fled to Gangaram village and then towards Maharashtra," he said.Police further said that the exact route taken by the accused after fleeing from Dharmapuri is yet to be ascertained. "We suspect more people are involved in the crime, not in the robbery, but in helping the accused stay at different locations and assisting them in other ways. Three of the robbers who ransacked the jewellery shop are natives of West Bengal, while the other two are from Bihar. Their professions and the pretext under which they travelled to different cities are yet to be ascertained," said an official who is a part of the investigation team.On May 3, five armed men posing as customers stormed PMJ Jewellers in Jyothinagar in Karimnagar, firing seven to eight rounds when staff resisted. The gang, who conversed in both Hindi and Telugu, looted nearly 1 kg of gold before fleeing on two motorcycles. CCTV footage captured the accused forcing staff to kneel at gunpoint before decamping.The accused fled from the shop on two bikes, one of which was bearing a fake number plate, was recovered by the police in Dharmapuri. Police also learnt that the accused had stayed at a lodge in Dharmapuri for a day before fleeing. Police have announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to their arrest.