With no support from the Tamil Nadu police in arresting the notorious Ramji Nagar gang involved in the daylight heist at Vanasthalipuram, Rachakonda police are banking on local informants by offering them heavy remuneration to wring out information. However, the well-oiled network of the gang members is helping them escape the police dragnet.
“As the gang members are eluding arrest and in the absence of support from the local police, we are depending on local informants. But language is proving to be a major hindrance for us,” a police officer associated with the investigation said, adding that even the informers are scared of the gang.
On May 7, the gang diverted the attention of the employee of a cash management agency, who was replenishing cash in an ATM booth at Panama Junction, and fled with the cash-filled trunk box. It contained ₹58.97 lakh.
“Even after giving the informers money and smart phones for communication, they are unable to give us accurate details of the accused, though their faces have already been identified,” the officer said.
The police have deputed special teams at Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru to nab the gang members, but it has not yielded any result so far, due to which there is no progress in the investigation. Two special teams comprising eight police personnel each are in Ramji Nagar and other nearby villages in search of the accused gang, which operates across the southern and central States in India. The investigators said there are more than 1,600 families in Ramji Nagar, who earn their livelihood by robbing others.
Interestingly, the village was founded by a Gujarat-based cotton businessman, Ramji Mooljee, who started a cotton spinning mill at the village a few decades ago and employed local people as labourers, who, years later, became experts in attention-diversion robberies.
“We are finding it difficulty to nab the accused as the entire village is close knit and no one reveals the identity of any gang member. It is a well-organised community,” they said.
Even if the gang members are arrested, there is little hope for the recovery of stolen cash, the police said.
“Like any other organised robbery gang, the leaders of this gang too have a well-connected network with advocates, local police and politicians being part of it. We suspect some big names in Tamil Nadu are providing them shelter,” sources said.
When contacted, Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh M. Bhagwat said the investigation is going in the right direction and the efforts are on to nab the accused.
