In another major breakthrough in the Rs 2 crore highway robbery case, police have arrested a constable who had been absconding since the incident.
The constable, Manoj Kumar, was apprehended by the police around 1 am on Tuesday night near Bilti Garh Chauraha in Makhanpur. Authorities recovered Rs 5 lakh in cash from his possession. This arrest brings the total number of people taken into custody in connection with the case to eight, including six robbers and two policemen.
The incident took place on the highway near village Ghunpai in Makhanpur, where a van belonging to GK Company was looted of Rs 2 crore. On October 4, police arrested six suspects and recovered Rs 1.05 crore in cash, along with an iPhone, a new motorcycle, weapons, and two cars.
The alleged mastermind behind the robbery was being taken for cash recovery by police on October 5 when he managed to escape, even while handcuffed. He was later killed the same night in an encounter with the police.
During the investigation, it was revealed that two policemen were also involved in the planning and execution of the robbery. They had been providing the gang with real-time updates on police movements. After the heist, both constables – Head Constable Ankur Pratap Singh and Constable Manoj Kumar, reportedly travelled to Delhi in a car and returned with their share of the stolen money.
Ankur Pratap Singh was arrested on Tuesday morning at Shri Shyam Family Dhaba near Rupaspur on the highway. Singh hails from Khan Alampur village under Harduaganj police station in Aligarh district. He was currently residing at A-423, Trans Yamuna Colony, Phase-1, under Etmaduddaula police station in Agra. He was posted with the Agra Government Railway Police (GRP) at the time of the incident.
The police continue their investigation to recover the remaining stolen money and determine the full extent of involvement of all the accused.