In a significant breakthrough, the Itanagar police have cracked a daring daylight robbery case that occurred at a commercial establishment in the capital, arresting all three accused individuals after a three-week investigation. According to Capital Superintendent of Police Jummar Basar, the breakthrough was achieved through sustained fieldwork, advanced technical analysis, and close inter-district coordination.
The incident took place on 22 June at around 11 am at a shop located in Gandhi Market, Itanagar. Two individuals entered the shop under the pretext of viewing CCTV footage for alleged lost items. Once inside, one of the suspects brandished a knife concealed within a file cover, threatened the cashier, and fled the scene with approximately Rs 13 lakh in cash. A third accomplice stood guard outside as a lookout.
The investigation initially faced hurdles due to the meticulous planning of the crime by the accused. They had changed clothes, avoided routes covered by public cameras, and concealed their movements. Furthermore, Smart City CCTV cameras along the suspected escape routes were non-operational at the time of the incident.
To crack the case, a special team was constituted, led by the Itanagar SDPO. The team analysed over 500 hours of CCTV footage from private establishments, combined with mobile phone tracking, witness examinations, and field verifications. Police tracking revealed that following the heist, the trio fled towards Seppa in East Kameng district and frequently shifted locations across East Kameng, neighbouring Assam, and various parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
Two of the accused were apprehended first, while the third one was arrested nearly three weeks after the robbery. Investigations revealed that a significant portion of the looted cash was utilised by the accused to purchase a four-wheeler, two-wheelers, and mobile phones. The police have traced and recovered several of these newly acquired assets and have frozen the bank account of one of the accused.
