Bengaluru cash van robbery: Police arrests seventh suspect
Bengaluru (PTI): Police on Sunday said they have arrested a seventh suspect in the Rs 7.11 crore cash van robbery case in Bengaluru.
The suspect is said to be related to a person already arrested in the case, police said, adding that the arrest was made late on Saturday night.
Police on Saturday announced the arrest of six people in connection with the robbery on November 19 in South Bengaluru, and recovery of Rs 6.29 crore out of total Rs 7.11 crore robbed.
Among the arrested were former employees of CMS Info Systems, a cash logistics company, and Annappa Naik, a police constable attached to the Govindapura station in the city.
Meanwhile, Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday confirming the seventh arrest, expressed confidence about the arrest of other suspects involved and recovery of the remaining amount.
"The robbers of Rs 7.11 crore that had taken place in Bengaluru have been caught by the police and seven people have been arrested. Some more people are yet to be arrested. One person from the police department is also involved. About 3-4 teams were formed to nab the culprits," he said.
Congratulating the city police and the commissioner, the home minister said two joint commissioners, two DCPs and over 200 staff involved in the probe and the operation.
The incident had brought a bad name to the city and was a challenge to the police, he said.
Out of Rs 7.11 crore that was robbed, Rs 6.29 crore has been recovered. "Remaining amount is being tracked and efforts are on to recover that too," he added.
Noting that the case was challenging for the police department, Parameshwara said, police have worked technically, with utmost caution and intelligence.
"The robbers had worked with a lot of caution. We are getting to know all those things. The cars that they used have also been seized. They knew about the money being transferred," he said, adding that the arrests have brought a good name to the department and the government.
The home minister said instructions will be given in the department to be vigilant, and take merciless action against the police personnel involved in such activities, by taking disciplinary and legal actions.
Asked whether there were any lapses on part of the CMS Info Systems, he said, "All those things are being verified. Whether they are following RBI guidelines will be looked into. What guidelines should be given to them or what action should be taken against them will be looked into and will be followed."
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
