ASR District Police, under the leadership of SP Amit Bardar, have successfully cracked the robbery case involving Rs15.62 lakh meant for senior citizen pensions. The stolen cash has been fully recovered, and three suspects have been taken into custody.
The arrested individuals — Santosh Kumar Mahapatra (28), Vikas Kora (25), and Swapnil Durai (19) — are all residents of Koraput district in Odisha. The trio was involved in the daring robbery of Kattari Machebabu, a welfare assistant working at the Bondapalle panchayat in Pedabayalu mandal.
On July 31, Machebabu withdrew Rs15.62 lakh from the SBI branch in Pedabayalu. The funds were intended for pension distribution. While traveling on his motorcycle near Bangarumetta, under the Munchingput police station limits, he was ambushed by the trio. Armed with sharp weapons, they threatened him and fled with the cash.
Following the complaint, Sub-Inspector J Ramakrishna registered a case. A special team was formed comprising officers from Munchingput, Pedabayalu, and Araku Valley police stations.
The investigation extended into bordering regions of Odisha. On August 2, acting on specific leads, the team apprehended the suspects at Jolaput village in Munchingput mandal, while they were dividing the stolen amount.
During interrogation, the accused admitted to planning the robbery to make quick money. The entire stolen amount was recovered from them.
Legal Action
All three have been produced in court and remanded to judicial custody. Police have praised the swift coordination between the stations involved and credited teamwork for the quick resolution of the case.
