Two drug peddlers from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, who were involved in a dacoity attempt at a jewellery store in Keesara were apprehended by Rachakonda police in Gujarat. The siblings, also involved in a murder case, were brought to the city on transit warrant on Thursday.
The accused Brij Bhushan Pandey alias Butul (27) and his elder brother Shashi Bhushan Pandey alias Munna (30) from Bansgaon in UP walked into R.S. Rathore Jewellery store on Nagaram main road on September 18 posing as customers and wanted to see a chain.
When the shop owner got suspicious of their behaviour, and attempted to make a phone call, the dacoits seized the phone and threatened him with a firearm.
An alarm was raised and in the scuffle that ensued, the dacoits dropped their weapon and escaped towards Keesara on bikes. But Pandey opened fire in the air to threaten the public who gathered outside the shop. “When their bike broke down on the way to Keesara, where the other gang members were waiting, the accused waylaid another biker, attacked him and took way his vehicle to reach their destination,” said Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh M. Bhagwat.
On September 18, the gang went to Maharashtra via Nizamabad and from there they reached Kota, Rajasthan, he said.
During the process of investigation, D.G. Rabbari, a sub-inspector from Bharuch identified the footages of the accused and informed the Rachakonda police about the present status of Butul Pandey and his associates at Gadkhol area of Ankleshwar.
“Soon teams were sent to the location, where the gang members opened fire on the police and in retaliation, the latter also opened fire during which Butul Pandey and his brother suffered bullet injuries and were apprehended,” Mr Bhagwat said.
In September last year, the accused and their associates abducted and murdered one Chandrashekar from KPHB Colony. Chandrashekar was an aide of the accused, but they thought that he informed the NCB about the drug business and got them shut down. So they kidnapped him and killed at Ghatkesar. Later his mortal remains were buried in Ghatkesar. In this case, the associates of Pandey brothers were arrested, the Commissioner said.
Further, Mr Bhagwat said that Butul Pandey formed the gang with 25 members in UP, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Telangana and was involved in several drug peddling cases. They used to produce ephedrine drug in Hyderabad and export it to other States.
