Sensational Muthoot Gold Heist Gang Leader Nabbed In Mumbai 

Hyderabad: The kingpin in the sensational gold heist at a Muthoot Finance branch on the city outskirts took place on December 28 last was arrested in Mumbai on Sunday.

The gang leader Rajaratnam who posed as a CBI officer to gain entry into the strong room of the Ramachandrapuram branch of Muthoot Finance in Patancheru area and fled with 42kg of gold jewelry went underground after the robbery. His gang comprising five persons, two of them were carrying small firearms, had robbed the finance company.

After six months of chase, the Cyberabad police in coordination with the Mumbai crime branch team traced Rajaratnam in Dharavi area in Mumbai. The kingpin and his wife Radha were shifted to Hyderabad after the arrest. Only 3-kg gold was recovered from his house. He was leading a luxurious life in Mumbai all these months.

Rajaratnam is said to be an active member of a political party and even contested elections as a corporator in 2015.

A strong team of elite Greyhound was keeping a close surveillance on the gang leader who drove the Scorpio SUV.

With the help of 35 CCTV footage the investigation team had established that the Scorpio SUV and one bike was used by the suspects to do recce on December 23-24.

During the night the suspects took shelter in a Dhaba 10km away from the crime scene. After recce the suspects left towards wadi town of Gulbarga while they left the bike at Parigi bus stand. December 25 all the six accused met in Wadi with a plan of robbery.

The investigation has also revealed that the gang had attempted robbery on December 27.

"They took shelter in the Dhaba for the night on December 27 and again started from the Dhaba the next day. Till now the Scorpio was using a MH (Maharastra) number plate but the day of offence they changed the vehicle number with an AP (Andhra Pradesh) plate. All the 6 suspects have left for Mumbai by train," a senior police official said after the incident.

All the six interstate hardened criminals involved in crime met and further execute their plans successfully. The gang was also involved in many sensational robberies and dacoities in Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka earlier.

The Sensational Daylight Robbery

On 28 December 2016, Posing as CBI officials, four unidentified persons looted 45 kg gold from Muthoot Finance RC Puram branch at Patancheru on Hyderabad outskirts.

The con men escaped with gold ornaments valued at about Rs12 crore after threatening the staff with weapons.

Four persons came to Muthoot Finance branch in the morning and told the staff that they were CBI officials and wanted to check records and gold in the lockers.

When the employees said they were not in a position to show the lockers without permission from top officials, the unidentified men threatened action against the staff for disobeying orders of CBI officials.

When the lockers were opened, the intruders started collecting the golden ornaments in their bags. As the employees raised objection, one of the men whipped out a gun, threatened the employees and locked them in a bathroom.

The robbers also took away the hard disk of CCTV cameras with them.

The robbers fled in a black Scorpio SUV.