3 disguised as cops rob businessman in Bengaluru

The Wilson Garden police have arrested a gang of three for stealing Rs 80 lakh belonging to an arecanut businessman from Gubbi.

All the three arrested are from Andhra Pradesh, while two are brothers and notorious red sander smugglers.

The gang, disguised as policemen, robbed cash from the employees of the businessman near Shanthinagar bus stand on December 27.

The police have recovered around Rs 37 lakh from the gang and claimed that the arrested had spent the remaining amount in gambling.

The arrested have been identified as Bhattal Shivaram Krushna Yadav alias Galli Rowdy, 19, from Kadapa district in Andhra Pradesh and two red-sanders smugglers Shaik Champathi Laal Basha, 36, and his brother Shaik Champathi Jakir, 27. The duo were arrested in a red sanders smuggling case and were lodged in special sub-jail in Tirupati of AP.

Chandan and Kumaraswamy are employees of Manoj Kumar, a businessman from Gubbi. Kumar had given them Rs 80 lakh to be handed over to a certain person in Salem, Tamil Nadu. The car-borne gang intercepted the duo travelling in an SUV on K H Road. Introducing themselves as policemen, the gang took the duo, along with the vehicle and cash, to Nala BTS Service Road at around 1.30 pm and robbed them of cash before fleeing.

The police initially zeroed in on Yadav and based on information provided by him, the police learned that the smuggler-brothers were arrested by the AP police in the red sanders smuggling case after they committed the robbery in Bengaluru and were lodged in the jail. The police took the duo into custody on a body warrant and recovered the money.

The brothers confessed to the police that they knew about hawala transactions happening in Shanthinagar. A few months ago, they had once taken money from Kumar in Bengaluru and they knew about his regular transactions. The duo kept watch on Kumar’s movements and on learning that his employees were taking money to Tamil Nadu, they robbed them.

The police claimed that Kumar had given documents for Rs 37 lakh which he had earned through areca business.