Rs 1.29 cr robbery case solved, four arrested

Mumbai, Feb 28 (UNI) The city police today claimed to have solved a robbery case of Rs 1.29 crore by arresting four robbers from the Bandra-Kurla complex in the western suburbs here.

Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria told newspersons here that acting on a tip-off from Unit-VIII of city police, the four accussed -- Peter Lawrence Pereira (36), Subhash alias Babu Shivaji Gurav (28), Abdul Kadir Sheikh alias Dhabbu (37) and Ramesh Ramnath Vishwakarma (28) were arrested in the robbery case here.

Four other persons -- Rupesh alias Viky Babu Singh, Santosh Nepali, Majju Shivanand Gauda and Shivkumar Muttu Periyar, involved in the robbery, are yet to be arrested, Mr Maria added During the interrogation, Pereira and Subhash admitted to their involvement in this sensational robbery of Rs 1.29 crore, which took place just outside the UTI Bank, Chembur on April 14, 2006.

Mr Maria said that Subhash was working as a peon in the UTI bank and had access to the strongroom of the bank. Pereira had instigated him to give information about the proceedings in the bank.

On April 14, 2006, one Powai-based industrialist called up a UTI bank officer and said that he was coming to withdraw Rs two crore. Subhash allegedly passed this information to Pereira, who along with co-accused Rupesh, Santosh Nepali, Majju Shivanand Gauda and Shivkumar Muttu Periyar, intercepted the car of the complainant and looted Rs 1.29 crore cash at gun point.

Pereira has admitted that he and his other associates are also involved in Dana Bandar, New Mumbai, and Mahim police station robbery cases, in which cash worth Rs 2.25 lakh and Rs 85,000 were looted respectively.

Police has recovered Rs 11 lakh from Pereira who had received Rs 16 lakh as his share of the booty. Police also recovered one country-made revolver, live cartridges, a toy revolver, a knife, one tape and red chilli powder from them.

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