The Nellore Police arrested three armed reserve police constables in the Navjeevan Express robbery case and seized Rs. 85.98 lakh from their possession.
Giving details about the case on Friday, SP Gajarao Bhupal told the media that the gang had hatched the plan to rob the traders after getting information from Gurramkonda Kishore, a native of Kavali, that the ‘season boys’ were carrying huge amount of cash to Chennai. Gurramkonda Kishore have been keeping track of big gold traders in Kavali and their cash transactions.
The arrested constables have been identified as Guddanti Dundi Kiran Babu, Chirigiri Ravi and Thupili Sivakrishna, all of them were working with the special party team in Prakasam district.
They, along with one Devara Nagaraju from Vedullapalli in Guntur district and four others, travelled in the train with the traders and threatened them by wielding two pistols.
Posing as police, the gang told the traders that they had doubts over the huge amounts they were carrying and that Kavali DSP wanted to question them. They made the traders get down near Nellore when the train slowed down and took them in a car. The traders questioned them when the car did not stop at Kavali and headed towards Ongole. The gang then snatched away the cash, abandoning the traders.
Following a complaint lodged by the traders with Kavali Police, a chase operation was launched, leading to the arrest near Kanigiri in Prakasam district. Meanwhile, the SP asked gold traders to take precautions while carrying out transactions involving huge amounts.
