Kochi: The police team probing the multiple ATM robberies in central Kerala recently brought the two accused arrested from Rajasthan and Haryana to the Hill Palace Police Station, Tripunithura, on Friday evening.
The first accused Haneef Khan, 37, of Jurehra in Rajasthan and third accused Nazeem Akbar, 24, of Mewat in Haryana will be produced before the Tripunithura First Class Judicial Magistrate on Saturday, the police said.
The second accused Pappu Palsingh aka Pappy, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail in a motorcycle theft case, will be produced before the Tripunithura court on November 14. It is learnt that Pappy is an accused in 19 criminal cases in various North Indian states.
According to the cops, a total of five cases have been registered against the accused, spread over the three districts of Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kottayam, and they will seek their custody next week.
"We are tracing the remaining three accused hailing from Rajasthan and Haryana with the help of local police and cyber cell and they will be caught soon," Mr P.P. Shams, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Thrikkakara, told reporters.
The police said the ATM theft operation was carefully planned by the six-member gang, including the travelling routes and targeted areas.
Inspector of police T. Uthamdas said that all the accused are either drivers or cleaners of trucks used to transport new vehicles to Kerala.
The accused, after delivering the load of new motorcycles at Pathanamthitta and Kollam, stole a pickup van from Manippuzha in Kottayam and travelled to Ernakulam. The other three followed them in the trucks. After two failed attempts in Kottayam, they reached Irumpanam along the Seaport-Airport Road from where they looted Rs. 25 lakh.
Their next attempt at an ATM at Kalamassery failed again after they were sighted by two persons in a nearby shop. At Koratty, they looted Rs. 10 lakh from a South Indian Bank ATM. After this, they abandoned the vehicle at Chalakkudy and fled the state, the police said.
"However, the money could not be recovered as they claimed to have spent it all, which needs to be verified," Mr. Uthamdas said.
