A gang of dacoits beat a hasty retreat after trying to loot Muthoot Finance’s branch here in Mailardevpally at gunpoint, as its building owner and staff put up a courageous fight risking their lives.
A massive hunt was launched for the dacoits by alerting all entry and exit points in the capital, however, there was no breakthrough so far.
The gang came in a Chevrolet Tavera around 10.10 a.m. Two members walked in posing as customers. One of them enquired about the formalities for pledging his ring. The moment two of their associates entered the office, the dacoit making enquiries with the staff jumped over the counter and wanted to head towards the strong room where mortgaged jewellery is kept. “Realising the danger, MF manager Abdul Lateef rushed towards the window and cried for help,” Cyberabad Additional DCP Srinivas Reddy said.
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Hearing the manager’s shouts, the building owner Kishore Kumar who was overseeing some repair works outside picked up a bamboo stick and came inside. Simultaneously, a woman employee Sirisha buzzed the security alarm.
Initially, some employees of the office started screaming in utter shock. As the alarm rang aloud and a well-built Kumar lunged at them with the stick, they mustered courage.
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The five dacoits were taken aback at the unexpected and swift reaction from them. Realising that they could be caught, the dacoits ran out and fled in their Tavera. The intruders spoke Hindi. Investigators suspect the gang could be from northern or western parts of the country. Police surmise the offenders did a reconnaissance of the locality earlier.
“They had come to MF office yesterday (Monday) around 4.45 p.m. pretending to be customers but failed to execute their plot,” the officials said.