Wanted for robbery, three held while planning another loot

ALLAHABAD: After a gap of around a year, city police on Thursday claimed to have solved Rs 10.30 lakh loot case and arrested three alleged robbers near GIC overbridge road while they were planning to execute another loot in the city.
Police also seized Rs 91,500 cash, two country-made pistols of .32 bore and .12 bore, four live cartridges and two bikes form their possession.
Those arrested were identified as Om Pandey of Naini, Nikhil Shukla of Mirzapur and Pawan Kumar Yadav of Mutthiganj.
However, police is still looking for their aide identified as Pradhuman, resident of Ballia, who has managed to evade arrest.
SP (crime) Ashutosh Mishra said, “On March 11 last year, Om and Pradhuman on a bike had looted Rs 10.30 lakh cash from an employee of a firm near Chowk area under Kotwali police station. Following the incident, the firm owner, Sanjay Agrawal, had lodged a case under Section 392 of IPC against unidentified persons.”
“On Thursday, a joint team of crime branch and Kotwali received a tip-of about the movement of three men who were involved in the Kotwali loot near GIC overbridge road. The team cordoned the area and managed to catch them—Om, Nikhil and Pawan. However, search is on for Pradhuman,” the SP added.
Police said the prime accused Om confessed that he, along with Pradhuman, had looted Rs 10.30 lakh cash from a man travelling on a scooter on March 11 last year.
The looted money was shared among four people. While Om took Rs 4 lakh and Pradhuman Rs 5.05 lakh, Nikhil was given one lakh and Pawan received Rs 25,000.
Police said that it was Pawan—an old employee of the same firm where the victim works—who had given leads to the robbers. Besides, Nikhil, who had earlier set up a restaurant in Naini area, had appointed Pradhuman as an employee there. Nikhil had also arranged the bike to execute the loot.
When police got to know through CCTV footage that the bike used in the loot was orange in colour, the robbers had painted it black on the very next day of the incident.