Conmen loot 40 kg gold from Muthoot

​Hyderabad/ Sangareddy: Gold ornaments weighing around 40 kg were allegedly looted by a gang of five persons, who posed as CBI and police officials at a branch of a private finance firm in Sangareddy district of Telangana on Wednesday, police said.

Around four persons entered the Muthoot Fincorp branch at Beeramguda under RC Puram police station limits at around 9.30 am while another one waited outside the branch in a four-wheeler, they said. "Around 40 kg of gold and Rs 1 lakh in cash were looted by a group of five persons.

One of them introduced himself as a CBI officer to the staff and told them that there are reports that several people had converted their black money into white and kept their gold at the branch," Police Commissioner Sandeep Shandilya, who visited the crime scene, told reporters.

The conmen, one of them who also posed as a traffic cop, further said that they had brought one thief with them who had informed that he had kept his stolen gold booty with the branch and claimed before the staff that they were having information of "irregularities" in currency exchange process in view of demonetisation and they will investigate the records and lockers of the office.

In the name of checking records, they got the lockers opened from the staff. After the staff raised suspicion, the gang members allegedly threatened them at gunpoint and made away with the gold ornaments, police said.

"We are in the process of finding the accused and verifying CCTV footage. Special teams have been formed to trace the absconding accused," Shandilya said. Another police officer said that before fleeing away in a four-wheeler, the robbers damaged the CCTV cameras and took away the CCTV records and hard disk with them.

Vehicle checking is being taken up at different exit and entry points including Telangana - Maharashtra and Karnataka state borders, the senior police officer said. Police is also in the process of collecting CCTV footage of adjacent areas and investigating the case from all corners.

A large number of customers gathered before the branch after coming to know about the robbery in the bank and demanded that the firm should return their gold. Around three years ago another unit of the firm located in the same area was robbed, police said.

Meanwhile, Muthoot Finance Ltd in a statement said that it was conducting an internal probe and audit of the loss caused by this incident.

“We are cooperating with law enforcement agencies concerned. Safety of valuable deposit is of paramount importance for the company.

Gold jewellery kept as collateral is fully insured, and our customers will not be put to any inconvenience,” the statement said.