Hyderabad, July 23: Three police constables, dismissed from service on charges of criminal activities, and two jewellers were arrested in the sensational 70-tola gold robbery that took place at Shamshabad last month. A jewellery store employee, Venkateshwarlu, was forced to get down from a Kurnool-bound bus at Peda Shapur and gold was taken from him by two persons posing as policemen. Venkateshwarlu works for Billakanti Nagishetty and Sons jewellers located in Kurnool town. The shop is owned by B Venkataramana.
According to the police, Venkataramana’s brother, B Subramanyam also runs a jewellery store, Billakanti Jewellers in the same area. “Subramanyam was jealous of Venkataramana’s flourishing business and he also bore a grudge against his brother as he inherited a lion’s share in the ancestral property,” Cyberabad Police Commissioner S Prabhakar Reddy told reporters on Wednesday. Subramanyam used to discuss the same with another jeweller, M Harikrishna of Makam Jewellers and both hatched a conspiracy against Venkataramana.
They discussed their plans with V Tirupataiah, an exconstable.
Tirupataiah took the help of two other former constables, J Nageshwar Rao and P Simhachalam, and conspired to rob Venkateshwarlu while he was on his way to Kurnool.
“They were aware that Venkateshwarlu purchased gold from Manokamna Jewellers at Langer Houz in the city. On June 29, Venkateshwarlu purchased the gold and took a bus to Kurnool when they followed him. At Pedda Shapur, Nageshwar Rao and Simhachalam intercepted the bus and forced Venkateshwarlu to get down for questioning. They took him to an isolated place and robbed him of the 70-tola gold,” the Commissioner said.
The five accused who were arrested on Wednesday. Police said Nageshwar Rao was an APSP, Mangalagiri battalion constable and was dismissed for alleged involvement in a dacoit case.
Tirupataiah was also a APSP Kurnool battalion constable but later joined the civil police at Kurnool. He was dismissed for absenteeism and theft.
Similarly, Simhachalam was an APSP Kondapur battalion constable and dismissed for smuggling teak wood and selling opium.
–Agencies–