The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : eSeva heist: link to 2003 robbery?

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Monday, Jun 25, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

eSeva heist: link to 2003 robbery?

Staff Reporter

Modus operandi in two incidents almost similar, say police

Five special teams formed to trace offenders
No fingerprints at the scene of the offence

HYDERABAD: The city police are suspecting role of the same gang that struck at an eSeva centre in Malakpet in 2003, as the modus operandi is almost similar in the two incidents. Five special teams have also been formed to trace the offenders.

Two robbers entered the Banjara Hills eSeva centre on Saturday night and escaped with Rs.3.5 lakh. “Going by similarities of the two cases, we are suspecting role of the gang that looted Rs.2.6 lakh from the Malakpet eSeva centre,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Banjara Hills) V. Ramakrishaniah on Sunday.

Pre-planned

Pointing out that it was a pre-planned heist, he said the robbers took all “precautionary measures” to prevent the police from picking up any clues from the scene of the offence. “We did not get any fingerprints as they were wearing gloves,” a senior official said.

Eyewitnesses, including the security guard, could not identify any of the accused persons when police displayed photo albums of past offenders. “The only clue we have is a scooter registration number 1048 which is yet to be verified,” the official explained.

Efforts were on to collect details of similar offences that occurred elsewhere in the country.

This is the third such incident in the city where an eSeva centre was involved. In December 2003, unidentified persons looted Rs.1.62 lakh at gunpoint at Santoshnagar.

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