The theft of gold jewellery and cash from a transport operator’s house in Vanasthalipuram by a gang in the guise of Income Tax officials two months ago was masterminded by his tenant farmer from Guntur.
Breakthrough
In a breakthrough in the sensational case, the Cyberabad police on Saturday arrested N. Raghu Kumar and six of his associates. Stolen jewellery worth Rs.12.70 lakh and Rs.2.3 lakh cash were recovered from them, Cyberabad Police Commissioner Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said at a press conference.
Fifty-year-old Kumar of Ilavaram in Battiprolu of Guntur district was cultivating five acres of agricultural land belonging to A. Srinivasa Rao who has transport business in Vanasthalipuiram. Kumar had been regularly paying a lease amount to Mr. Rao by selling the paddy he had produced in the land.
He had learnt that Mr. Rao had amassed wealth and hatched a plot to take away jewellery and cash from the latter’s house by organising a fake IT raid. He sought the help of G. Naga Chiranjeevi Rao and five others to execute the plan.
On October 19, the accused along with his accomplices came to Hyderabad. While he stayed in a lodge at Dilsukhnagar, others knocked on the doors of the transport operator and barged inside when he came out. Claiming themselves as IT officials, they ransacked his house.
Fake receipt
After collecting gold jewellery and Rs.2.3 lakh from the house, the gang gave a fake receipt in the name of IT department to him. “Come to our office with this receipt later. Your property would be returned if you show documents as to how you earned them,” they said in Telugu.
On a tip-off, the Central Crime Station of Saroornagar found that Rao’s tenant was behind the fake IT raid.
Soon after the “IT officials” left his house, a shocked Rao rang up many persons, including Kumar. Claiming that he was in Hyderabad on some work, Kumar rushed to the victim’s house and consoled him.
He had even signed as one of the witnesses in the police records.
