Cops bust interstate gang after a car chase and gun-battle

RAIPUR

: After an exciting car chase and a brief gun-battle, police arrested four members of a gang who were escaping with an ATM of a nationalized bank in

Gariaband district

.

The pickup van used to commit the crime, a 0.315 bore country-made pistol, three round live cartridges, one round fire cartridge, gas cutter kit, rope, knife, iron rod, among others were recovered from their possession.

Raipur range inspector general of police Anand Chhabra told reporters, that on Wednesday five miscreants had uprooted an ATM of a nationalized bank and transported it to a secluded spot. The bank was alerted due to security alarms. Gariband patrol police was alerted.

Spotting police on their tail, the accused started moving towards Raipur, when one of accused opened fire at them. The cops retaliated and closed in on the pickup van. Due to the speed, the van fell off the main road and the accused scurried in different directions. Cops managed to nab four accused including the mastermind Azad Khan alias Ajju. The others arrested were identified as Junaid Khan, Ashr-Ud-Din, Ikran and Irshad all natives of Mewat district of Haryana.

Azad Khan, who works as a JCB driver in Umarkot region of Odisha, told police that he had called the other four from Mewat to loot the ATM.

All of them assembled at Odisha and on February 4, they looted an ATM in Dharamgarh of Odisha and fled with Rs2.74 lakh. They had uprooted the ATM and taken it to a secluded spot to open it with a gas cutter.

Emboldened by their success, the gang decided to do the same in

Chhattisgarh

. They spotted an ATM without a watch in Gariaband near a national highway and planned to target it. They were nabbed due to the presence of security alarm.

The accused arrested have several cases of murder, loot, theft, among others. One of the gang members Ikram is still absconding.

Police has lodged a case under section 457, 382, 511, 307 and 34 of IPC and 25 and 27 of Arms Act on the others.