Hyderabad: Main accused nabbed in Muthoot robbery attempt

Hyderabad: The Cyberabad police on Friday arrested the main accused in the Muthoot robbery attempt, in which seven suspects armed with pistols and knives had attempted to rob the Mailardevpally branch of the company. The arrested person has been identified as Mohammed Abdul Sharif Kadar Quadri, alias Sharif. Two pistols, 15 live cartridges and mobile phones have been recovered from him. Sheru Khan, the man who supplied him with the pistols, and Feroz, another man whom he met in prison, are absconding.

The police said that Sharif, a former convict, had learned the techniques involved in dacoity at the Dhuley prison.

Sharif, who hailed from UP, shifted to Mumbai in 1994. He began working as a barber and became friends with a scrap dealer. Based on his advice, he shifted to the scrap business. He was arrested in 2000 for an attempted robbery. He was held in Thane Central Prison, where he met Feroz. 

“In prison, he learnt dacoity techniques from Feroz. Even after his release, he often met Feroz in Mulakath and sought his advice. On Feroz’s advice, he met Sardar Singh, an arms supplier, and a man named Arshad,” said police commissioner Sandeep Sandilya.

He said that Sharif, Arshad and their associates had committed a dacoity in 2008, in Nandurbar in Maharashtra, where they had opened fire and made off with one kg gold. Sharif and Arshad were arrested and sentenced to seven years’ RI. 

While serving their sentence, they met a techie named Shafi who had been convicted in a fake currency case. After their release, Sharif resumed his scrap business as well his illegal activities. He met Sheru through a man named Pradhan, and he bought two pistols for Rs 35,000 each and 15 live rounds for Rs 500 each.

“He purchased a 9 mm pistol and a 7.5 mm pistol from Sheru, and tested them in Uttar Pradesh. He later purchased four mobile phones and distributed them to members of the gang,” Mr Sandilya said. 

The gang stole a Tavera vehicle and planned the Muthoot dacoity.

Four suspects have already been arrested and two remain absconding. 

Sharif hit back at police team 
Police said Sharif assaulted cops when he was caught in Mumbai. After put in a police vehicle he broke its window panes with his fist. “If I had a weapon I would have shot you all,” he said. He also claimed that Sheru who supplied him weapons had told him that he procured ammunition from cops. The commissioner said that they are checking his claims.

Mohammed Abdul Sharif Kadar Quadri alias Sharif stopped education at school and got married at 17. He has three children.

Though he began with small dacoities during his first stint in Thane prison he learnt robbery techniques from Feroz. 

He was arrested and convicted but he used it as an opportunity to improve his criminal skills.

During his stay in Dhuley prison also, he met Shafi, who is also a convict. Immediately after release they met and planned the Muthoot heist in Mailardevpally. Before targeting Muthoot they conducted a recce in the city to assess the status of over 50 Muthoot branches in the city including the one in RC Puram, where another interstate gang struck in December 2016 and looted around 45 kg gold. 

Mailardevpally was selected due to its multiple escape routes and lack of security, but they failed.

He was in a relationship with his sister-in-law's 20-year-old daughter and his wife also knew that. After fleeing Hyderabad, he was taking shelter in Osmanabad. He told his wife to bring his niece and meet him at Osmanabad railway station. While he was waiting to meet them, he was nabbed. 

Inquiries revealed that with the money he earned from dacoities, he purchased a house for Rs 8 lakh in his home town in UP, while he was staying on rent in Osmanabad.