Cops solve Mahesh Bank robbery case

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad police on Tuesday achieved a major breakthrough in their investigation into the sensational Mahesh Bank heist by arresting the gold appraiser of the bank, his wife and son for their alleged involvement in stealing gold from the AS Rao Nagar branch. About 15 kgs of gold worth Rs 4.5 crore was recovered from their possession.

It may be recalled that on the intervening night of November 28 and 29, the accused had committed the crime by entering the bank after opening the front shutter.

The accused, Macheroju Brahma Chary, 50, Macheroju Lalitha, 45, and Macheroju Veda Virat, 21, all residents of Bandlaguda, were apprehended on Tuesday by the special teams of CCS/SOT Cyberabad and Kushaiguda police, at Cherlapally Railway Station and Madhapuram in Bommalaramaram of Nalgonda district. They were arrested while Brahma Chary was planning to dispose of the stolen property in different modes.

According to Malkajgiri DCP Naveen Singh Grewal, Brahma Chary, a goldsmith, shifted from Warangal to Hyderabad and started gold business in Nagole. Later, he started working as a gold appraiser at Mahesh Bank. To execute the robbery, he sought the assistance from his family members and studied the loop-holes of the security system of the bank. He prepared duplicate keys using the original ones of the bank’s shutter, grills and strong room by obtaining them from senior accountant. On November 28, at around 11 pm, he gained entry into the bank by opening the front shutter and other doors of the bank with the duplicate keys. To avoid their identity being caught on cameras while committing the theft he cut-off the power supply to the CCTV cameras.

He broke open the door of the almirah and decamped with gold weighing about 15 kg.