PMJ jewellery robbery case: Karimnagar police trace suspects to Bengal

To avoid unwanted attention, the accused used public transport and moved around Jagtial, Siddipet and Karimnagar for a month.

Hyderabad: In a major development, the Karimnagar police have tracked down the suspects of the May 3 daylight robbery at a PMJ jewellery showroom in the city to West Bengal.

Police have confirmed that the six-member gang from West Bengal, Bihar and Rajasthan carried out the burglary, and suspect they are involved in previous robberies across northern, northeast and central regions of India.

According to police, the accused had an extensive plan to rob the jewellery showroom on May 3. They posed as mechanics and resided at Peddapalli. To avoid unwanted attention, they used public transport and moved around Jagtial, Siddipet and Karimnagar for a month. After looting the jewellery shop, they destroyed their mobile phones to evade GPS tracking.

Police have launched a massive manhunt in Bihar and Rajasthan to nab the remaining gang members involved in the robbery. Investigators suspect that another accomplice helped the accused by arranging a heavy vehicle to transport both the gang and the stolen valuables.

Meanwhile, police recovered a motorcycle believed to have been used in the crime from Dharmapuri Ghat, while another white bike used by the suspects is yet to be traced. Officials hinted that the investigation is nearing a breakthrough, though no official statement has been issued so far.

On the day of the incident, one of the assailants entered the store posing as a customer and asked to see a chain. Later, four more people followed him inside and started beating the employee.

When the security guard came inside, two people produced guns, started firing and made off with nearly a kilogram of jewellery from the display counters. At least four employees were injured in the firing and have been shifted to a hospital.