Interstate gang of robbers busted,3 held

The five armed robbers,pretending to be patients,had decamped with Rs 1 lakh and jewellery worth around Rs 20 lakh at gunpoint from Rana Hospital,Kalka on June 3. The five had kept Dr,Randhir Rana and his family hostage at gunpoint before they fled with the booty.

The nurse on night duty Meenu had opened the door as the two out of the six accused had complained of stomach pain and asked her to call the doctor.

When Dr Randhir Singh Rana came and checked them,the other three robbers,carrying country-made pistols,tied his hands and took the cash from the locker. The robbers then took the doctor inside his residence in the hospital premises and had told him to take the keys and hand over to them. Dr Rana said one of the robbers kept a pistol on his head and the other placed a knife on Meenu’s back.

They took jewellery and cash from the house. They had also threatened the medicos of dire consequences in case they raised the alarm.

On receipt of secret information,the Panchkula police arrested the three and recovered an automatic pistol and five live rounds from their possession.

Past record

All the three robbers are in their twenties and have been involved in a number of robberies in Delhi and Meerut in the past. One of the three arrested,Yashpal,has been declared a proclaimed offender by the Noida police in a case of robbery. He had also committed a bank robbery in Delhi some years back,said the police. Besides,he also has been involved in cases of vehicle thefts and dacoities and has spent considerable time in Tihar jail.

The other accused Somvir,a resident of Bhiwani in Haryana,had robbed a woman at gunpoint in Bahadurgarh some months back and belongs to a well to do family. He was investing his money in property before he was arrested. He also has an attempt to murder case registered against him. The third accused Shanawaz alias Abba has been involved in Hazi shop robbery in Meerut and also has involvement in car snatching cases. The Panchkula police has informed its counterparts in Delhi and Meerut of the cases in their areas solved with the arrest of these robbers.