Muthoot heist: RC Puram branch picked as it had 40 pc women

Hyderabad: The gang zeroed in on RC Puram branch due to two reasons. The employees at RC Puram branch were inexperienced and 40 per cent were women. Police found the RC Puram heist was a result of eight months hard work. Laxman conducted a survey and prepared a plan.

He found that other branches had more men. “They chose RC Puram as they thought it would be easy to escape. If they rob a rural branch locals will note their vehicle. But in the city they can mix easily,” police said. Police found that Shah was the financier of the crimes. “Shah converted the gold into cash and distributed it through Laxman. We also found receipts of Gulbarga Muthoot branch in his office and a huge number of RTGS transactions from his account in two days,” an official said.

The gang, after moving to Nasik with the RC Puram booty, converted it into rods. Part of it was shifted to Mumbai and converted to jewellery. They were seized on Sunday. December 27 was the day for striking at the RC Puram branch, but Roshan who was a member withdrew at the last moment as he was going to Gujarat due to which they roped in Tukaram, whose arrival got delayed. By then all the hardware shops near Muthoot had opened, and the plan was postponed to next day.