HYDERABAD: The notorious Khaled gang is suspected to be behind the daring daylight robbery on Nampally Station road on Sunday.

Khaled was arrested several times earlier for similar offences, including the sensational 7kg gold robbery at Begum Bazaar a few months ago.

Soon after the incident, senior police officials including City Police Commissioner A.K. Mohanty, Additional Commissioners -- Tejdeep Kaur Menon and Rajiv Trivedi -- huddled together for discussions with photographs and other details of the suspects.

Modus operandi

Discussions on who could be behind the incident went to as far as the Mumbai underworld. However, it is learnt that the available leads pinpoint Khaled's gang.

"It could be the handiwork of the Khaled gang. They were responsible for similar offences in the past," a police officer said, adding that Khaled had come out of jail recently and had formed a new gang.

Supervisory role

Officials said Khaled masterminds the entire operation before sending his men to execute it.

"He is in the habit of standing at a distance to watch the entire operation in the guise of a passer-by while his men strike," said the official. Once the operation is over, Khaled melts into the crowd.

His brother Omar is also among his accomplices.

The police also believe that the white Maruti Esteem car used in the offence could be a stolen car.

Stolen car used?

"They generally use stolen cars in the offence and abandon it later." Officials also believe that the assailants might still be somewhere in the State itself. "But there are chances of the car being abandoned and the gang travelling further by some other means," the officials said.

The police believe that it was a well-planned operation. "The culprits were watching the daily activity of the courier service agents.

The day and time was also selected carefully as traffic is thin on Sunday afternoon.

They managed to get entire information like the worth of the gold and even when it would be coming to the city before striking," officials said.

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