4 Looters Crash Car into Culvert in Shankarpally

Hyderabad: What began as a daylight robbery of Rs 40 lakh ended in a bizarre twist when the getaway car of the accused overturned in Kotapalli, Shankarpally, around 1.30 pm on Friday, scattering some of the cash spilling on the road.

According to Shankarpally inspector Srinivas Goud, the incident started when Rakesh Agarwal, a steel businessman from Ghatkesar, sent two of his employees — Sai Baba and Mani, who was driving — to Vikarabad on Friday morning to collect Rs 40 lakh as part of a business deal. The duo collected the cash between 12.30 and 1 pm and were on their way back when the robbery unfolded.

At about 1.30 pm, four unidentified assailants, suspected to be in their late twenties, intercepted their car on a deserted stretch near Hussainpur village. Three of them, masked and wearing gloves, got out of their vehicle and attacked. They threw chilli powder into Mani’s eyes and then turned to Sai Baba, who was holding the bag of cash. When he refused to roll down the window, the assailants smashed the glass with a stone, struck him on the head and forcibly snatched the bag.

The gang fled immediately, but their escape did not go as planned. Barely four kilometres away, near Kotapalli, their overspeeding vehicle hit a culvert, overturned and veered into roadside bushes. The impact scattered bundles of the stolen cash on the ground as the accused were allegedly transferring money from the stolen bag into another.

The dramatic scene drew villagers, some of whom watched in astonishment as the robbers scrambled to stuff fallen notes into their pockets. “Some people tried to pick up the cash, but the assailants warned us to stay away. One of them asked us for a towel to wrap the notes, and we gave it,” an eyewitness told the media.

Before the police arrived, the four accused managed to escape. While locals claimed that two of them fled in another car kept ready as a backup and the other two ran in the opposite direction, the inspector clarified that all four were last seen running towards Chevella. “They were not masked while escaping. CCTV footage briefly captured them and search operations are on in Chevella,” he said.

The gang’s car was badly damaged at both ends, but its doors remained intact, allowing the accused to climb out uninjured. Locals confirmed that none of them appeared seriously hurt.

Based on Rakesh Agarwal’s complaint, the Shankarpally police registered a case. At the accident site, officials recovered a toy pistol, a knife, gloves used to throw chilli powder, a pair of slippers, some cash and a couple of beaded necklaces. Reports suggested that about Rs 15 lakh lay scattered on the ground, though officials said the exact figure would be determined only after counting in the presence of panchas. Police clarified that neither the knife nor the pistol was used during the robbery.

CLUES teams and dog squads collected samples from the spot. Special operations teams, along with Shankarpally police, have been deployed to trace the accused. So far, no criminal history of the suspects has been identified nor any previous cases with a similar modus operandi.