Hyderabad: While the police called off the search operations at Happy Homes apartment since they could not find the escaped Muthoot robbers, probe officials say they have got vital clues about them.
The SUV they were driving had a fake number plate. Going by the chassis number it is believed to be from Gujarat. At least 15 special teams are on the job to hunt down the robbers.
Over 300 men from Cyberabad police and elite counter-terrorism force Octopus searched as many as 710 flats at Happy Homes apartment to arrest the armed robbers. After seven hours of raid, police made sure that no one was hiding inside the building.
“Two of the robbers were seen leaving the parking lot after they parked their vehicle. We suspected that the other two might have taken shelter inside the building. That’s why we had to run a thorough search. They were armed and it was dangerous for the residents also. So by the end of the search, we made sure that nobody was hiding there,” said a senior official from Cyderabad.
While probe officials are yet to confirm why the suspects had chosen Happy Homes to park their vehicle, it is suspected that somebody living there might have been in contact with the robbers. “Chances are that the robbers knew someone in the building. It is not likely that it was a random choice,” said the official.
Analysing the CCTV footage, police also confirmed that the suspects were carrying countrymade pistols and other crude weapons. On Tuesday, four unidentified men tried to rob a Muthoot finance branch in Mailardevpally on Tuesday morning.
The suspects entered the branch pretending to be customers, and then suddenly took out their weapons to rob the place. However, as employees raised an alarm, all of them fled from the area and abandoned their vehicles at the Happy Home apartment at Attapur.
Anxious residents had a tough night
It was a sleepless night for residents of Happy Homes on Tuesday with a large police force and elite anti-terrorism squad Octopus men combing off the place. Many were awake till 4 am in fear.
“It was when cops finished the search and assured us that the robbers were not inside that we went to sleep," said Rama Krishna a resident.
Hundreds of families live in the residential tower that hosts more than 700 flats. “It all started in the evening with police SUVs pulling over our driveways. In minutes, the gates were closed and guarded. The entire premises were filled with people in khaki and the search began. Initially, we did not understand what was happening. The police team told us to cooperate, and informed about the robbery,” said another resident.
The police searched each and every room and washroom inside the flats. “Nobody was allowed to go out. We were asked to remain inside for our safety. We were also warned that the robbers were armed,” the resident said. A police team is still deployed at the place for surveillance.
