Three constables from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, who robbed an Andhra-based businessman in the city posing as income tax (I-T) sleuths, were finally outsmarted and caught by Bengaluru policemen on Monday. The city police, on Sunday, arrested the three constables who had robbed Rs. 27.5 lakh from a gold businessman in March this year.
The accused, B.A. Shekhar (40), K. Satyanarayana (41), and B. Jayanna (43), working in Kurnool town as constables, followed Tipu Sultan, an employee of a gold shop, from Anantapur in a car and intercepted him at Mysore Bank Circle here on March 12 after he alighted from the bus.
Mr. Sultan was carrying Rs. 27.5 lakh in cash to buy gold ornaments for his employer in Anantapur. The trio, posing as I-T sleuths, forced Mr. Sultan into their car and took him to Airport Road on the pretext of inquiry. They later diverted Mr. Sultan’s attention and sped away in the car with the cash bag.
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Based on a complaint, the Ulsoor Gate police tracked down the accused and arrested them on Sunday from their hometown. The police recovered Rs. 6.5 lakh in cash from them, while the accused had invested the remaining amount at various places. “We have taken the trio into custody and are investigating further to ascertain whether they have been involved in similar offences earlier,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sandeep Patil said.