Addressing a news conference here, Joint Commissioner of Police V V Lakshmi Narayana told reporters that crime branch officials of Unit-V Wagle Estate were probing an offence under Sections 397 and Section 398 registered with the Naupada police in 2014.
During the probe, police officials received information that those who were involved in the offence were also associated with theft of gold bricks worth Rs 15.70 crore weighing around 58 kg, after which offences under Section 395 and Section 342 of the Indian Penal Code, besides Sections 3 and Section 25 of the Arms Act had been registered against them with the Wadivare police station at Nashik in April 2015, the police official said.
They pointed revolvers at occupants of the company vehicle and dumped them in the locker of the vehicle after tying them up and fled with the gold slabs worth Rs 15.70 crore, the police official said.
The police crime branch team searched for the accused in various places like Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, Azamgadh in Uttar Pradesh, Surat in Gujarat, as well as Sunoili on the Nepal border, but drew a blank, since all accused are hardened criminals who are well aquainted with police operations, the police official said.