Rayagada: Rayagada police have arrested seven persons, including three home guards, in connection with the sensational robbery of ₹9 lakh from a businessman by impersonating police personnel.
The accused were identified as home guard Indramani Karakaria of Bisamcuttack police station, Tamana Praska and Dilip Gadiya of Kalyansinghpur police station, along with Heera Nayak Gadiya, Simanchal Majhi, Radhika Halwa alias Sunita, and Mukesh Nag.
Police said nine people were involved in the crime, and efforts are on to trace the two others.
Addressing a press conference, Additional Superintendent of Police Amulya Dhar informed that cash worth ₹2.83 lakh, a Bolero vehicle, a motorcycle, and six mobile phones were seized from the arrested accused.
According to police, the incident occurred when businessman T. Uma Reddy from Garabandh in Gajapati district was traveling from Jeypore to Rayagada along with his friends and drivers.
At Rafkona Chhak, one of the accused, Sunita, approached him on the pretext of arranging labourers and struck up a conversation. Soon after, seven others arrived in a Bolero vehicle, with some dressed in police uniforms, and confronted the businessman, asking about his purpose and instructing him to “meet the SP.”
Sunita accompanied the group for a short distance before being dropped off, after which the others allegedly intimidated Reddy, assaulted him, and looted ₹9 lakh in cash. They later abandoned him on the roadside.
Based on the businessman’s complaint, Rayagada police launched an investigation and successfully tracked down the accused within a day. All seven arrested have been forwarded to court.
