Kanpur (UP), February 27 The Kanpur Police has cracked a case of organized robbery after the arrest of six people, two of whom were apprehended in an encounter, officials said on Friday. Interestingly, the investigation has also uncovered an alleged hawala network involving crores of rupees.
Officials said the arrests were made in connection with a robbery reported near the Shyam Nagar police outpost a fortnight ago.
On February 15, Mohammad Wasid, a resident of Yashoda Nagar, and Arshad, a resident of Jajmau, were allegedly assaulted by motorcycle-borne assailants who fled with their bag containing Rs 8 lakh in cash.
Following an investigation, police arrested four people – Abdul Rehman, Shubhan Khan, Lareb Siddiqui and Mohammad Zeeshan – in connection with the case on Thursday. Some of the stolen money was recovered from them.
Two others – Mohammad Yaseen and Mujahid, both residents of Beckonganj – were arrested in an encounter later in the day, a police official said.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Satyajit Gupta, a police team was conducting routine vehicle checks in the Ahirwan area late on Thursday night when two men on a motorcycle attempted to flee when they were signaled to stop.
"While trying to escape, the suspects – Yaseen and Mujahid – opened fire on the police. The police retaliated, injuring both of them in the leg. The two were overpowered and arrested," Gupta said.
The injured accused were admitted to Kanshiram hospital and will be produced before the court after treatment, Gupta said.
Police have recovered a country-made pistol, live cartridges, and a motorcycle without a number plate from their possession, he added.
According to police, members of the organized gang had conducted reconnaissance for several days before robbing Wasid and Arshad. Two gang members allegedly tracked the movement of cash and passed information to accomplices, who carried out the robbery.
Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said Wasid and Arshad did not initially disclose the robbery and reported it as an accident involving the collision of two bikes.
However, CCTV footage confirmed that a robbery had taken place, prompting the police to register an FIR and begin a parallel technical investigation.
In the course of this investigation, police uncovered suspected financial irregularities linked to a person identified as Mehfooz, a Jajmau resident who deals in scrap and leather business.
The robbery victims were acting as carriers transporting cash for him, Lal told