SBI CASH ROBBERY CASE

Major Breakthrough in SBI cash robbery case by police

The Rajahmundry urban police have made a breakthrough in the robbery of Rs.7.31 crore in cash belonging to the State Bank of India and taken two prime suspects into custody.

According to highly placed sources, a police team went to Kunta on the border of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh from where one of the suspects hails, and also to Bhadrachalam, to establish the antecedents of the second suspect. However, it is learnt that the bundles of currency were carried by miscreants in five to six bags in a Bolero van around in the wee hours of Monday.

In the sensational robbery, miscreants took away Rs. 7.31 crore cash belonging to the SBI after murdering P. Srinivas, employee of Scientific Security Management Services Limited (SSMSL).

Police had come to the conclusion that it was an inside job and interrogated all the 10 employees of SSMSL, including the driver, Pilaka Ramana Reddy. During the interrogation, it came to light that Sai Prasada Reddy, son-in-law of the driver worked as branch in-charge, was absconding from Sunday night. Sai Prasad Reddy had quit SSMSL three months ago. It was learnt that Reddy along with another former employee, Jagadeesh of Bhadrachalam, who was bag-carrier, might have hatched the plan and implemented the same with the help of some outsiders, who are having experience in house-breakings and murders.

Police are also looking into the angle whether Srinivas was killed following a dispute over sharing of the huge cash among the miscreants. The miscreants took all precautions to distort evidence from the scene of offence, but failed to take the cellphone of Srinivas which was found in his pocket. The police tracked the call record and proceeded further with the help of the record to nab the suspects.

Bid to suppress evidence

The police investigation had gone into some important areas, including the knees of Srinivas’ body were touching the floor when he was suspended from ceiling, fingerprints on a chilli powder packet that was left in one of the rooms, iron box, in which the keys of iron safe were kept and the box was cut with the help of gas-cutter and history of prisoners who were released recently on parole or after completion of punishment.

INTERESTING CRIME

Police close to solve Bank heist case

The Rajahmundry Urban police have almost solved the sensational Rs. 7.31-crore robbery case, having taken into custody one of the prime suspects-- Sridhar Reddy -- Kakinada branch in-charge of Scientific Security Management Services Limited (SSMSL), and getting vital information. Another suspect -- Sai Prasad Reddy-- who was removed as branch in-charge of SSMSL, Rajahmundry, is still at large and the mystery will be solved if he is arrested.

In the sensational crime that sent shock waves across the city, robbers took away cash belonging to the SBI after murdering P. Srinivas, employee of SSMSL, who was safeguarding the money, on Sunday night.

Now, the police are focussing on two important aspects of the case -- whether Srinivas committed suicide or was eliminated by the Sridhar Reddy-Sai Prasad Reddy gang and whether the cash was knocked away at a time or in instalments during the last few months. “If these two things are cleared, we can furnish the details of the case,” said SP T. Ravikumar Murthy on Wednesday. It was revealed during the investigation that passion for film production had driven the suspects to commit the crime. Sridhar Reddy and Sai Prasad Reddy, who are cousins, entered into the film field last year and invested Rs.1 crore on their own and borrowed huge amounts from private film financiers. The gang produced a Telugu film- “Ee Prema Lo…” - which is scheduled for release on July 12. When the financiers started pressuring the gang to clear their debt, the duo along with some SSMSL employees hatched the plan to rob the money.

Robbers pull off sensational heist in Rajahmundry

Cart away Rs. 7.35 cr. after killing security agency employee

In a sensational crime that sent shock waves across Rajahmundry city in East Godavari district, robbers took away Rs. 7.35 crore cash belonging to the State Bank of India after murdering an employee of Scientific Security Management Services Limited (SSMSL), who was safeguarding the money.

The heist was pulled off from a private house in RV Nagar in the centre of the city and very close to Rajahmundry Central Jail where the cash had been kept. The security agency was tasked by SBI to load cash in all its 20 automatic teller machines (ATMS) in the City on a daily basis. SSMSL had taken has taken this work on lease from Tata Securities, Superintendent of Police, Rajahmundry Urban, T. Ravikumar Murthy, said The robbery came to light on Monday morning when a security guard -- Srimannarayana of SSMSL -- opened the office and found the body of Pouroju Srinivas (29), an employee, suspended from a ceiling fan, giving an impression that he had committed suicide. The lockers in the office were broken open. He immediately informed his office.

K. Anil Kumar, DSP, Crime along with Clues team and Dog Squad reached the spot around 12.30 p.m. and brought down the body of Srinivas. The police personnel found a serious injury on his neck, apparently caused by a sharp edged weapon. The criminals took all the precautions to evade detection. They first covered all the surveillance cameras and then sprinkled chilli powder on the premises to make it difficult for sniffer dogs to trace their route. Police have launched a massive manhunt and sent the body Srinivas for post-mortem. The SP said that it is sheer negligence on the part of the SSMSL that they kept the lockers containing crores of rupees in a private house without proper security and without prior information to the police. SBI Chief Manager. K. Chittibabu also described it as a grave lapse on the part of the security agency and added that the SBI had insured the cash.

According to initial information, police believe that it is an inside job and have begun interrogation of the staff of the security agency.