The police solved a robbery that took place in Mandanayakanahalli on March 11 using FASTag details of the accused’s car which led them to their doorstep. This was possible because the detective who was investigating the case used this information to identify and track down the suspect’s car.
The police have arrested ten members of the Kerala gang who are reportedly linked to notorious robber Kodali Sreedharan, who is known for robbing hawala operators on highways.
A leading daily reported that the ten members of the gang had planned the robbery meticulously, having done their homework on the victims and having followed them from Hubbali to Bengaluru. They reportedly attacked a vehicle carrying five employees working in a private finance firm after they collected cash from various customers and were driving near the NICE Road junction at Madanayakanahalli on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Reports said the miscreates successfully looted all the money, which amounted to about Rs. 1 crore and even confiscated the victim’s mobile phones and car. Abandoning the victim’s car near Bellur, the miscreants reportedly crossed two state borders by changing the number plates of their car. Reports said the miscreants swapped a number plate with a Karnataka registration number to a Kerala registration number after crossing the Karnataka border.
The Bengaluru Rural district police then formed two special teams under additional superintendent of police Lakshmi Ganesh to investigate the case. Police reportedly combed through more than 250 CCTV cameras till Kerala’s Ernakulam but could not track the accused. However, they soon found that the miscreants had used the FASTag lane through all the toll plazas on their way. Tracking their details through FASTag, the police was able to identify the accused and landed at their doorstep.
The miscreants have been identified as 48-year-old Rajiv P K, 26-year-old Vishnulal, 34-year-old Sanal T C, 28-year-olds Akhil and Jaseen Faris, 33-year-old Sanaf P, 31-year-old Sameer S, 21-year-old Sainulla Habidi, 25-year-olds Shafeeq A P and Ramsheed alias Muttaf.
The police have reportedly retrieved cash worth Rs. 9.7 lakh and two SUVs from them. Police have told media that Sreedharan is the main suspect in the case and that he is still on the run. They also suspect that the remaining Rs. 90 lakh is with him.