Two suspected SIMI fugitives gunned down by security forces in Telangana could be behind the sensational triple murder and Rs 50.50 lakh loot from an ATM here in February, police said today.
"According to the Telangana police, two suspected SIMI operatives gunned down in an encounter on Feb 4 in Nalgona are behind ATM loot in Lucknow also. A team of the state police is going there today to verify the claims," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Yasshavi Yadav said here.
Mohammand Ejazuddin (30) and Mohammad Aslam (27), both suspected to be among seven SIMI operatives, who had escaped on October 13 last from a jail in Madhya Pradesh were gunned down at Nalgonda in Telangana on February 4.
In a brazen attack, they had shot dead three persons carrying bank money in a busy area here on February 27 and decamped with Rs 50.50 lakh after opening fire to scare away shocked onlookers.
They came on a motorcycle around noon when cash was about to be loaded in an ATM of a private bank in Babuganj locality close to Lucknow University campus.
The duo opened fire indiscriminately from point blank range at three persons, including two private guards. Two persons died on the spot, while another died in hospital during treatment, he said.
The deceased were later identified as Anil Singh (40), Arun Kumar (45) and Avinash Shukla (35).
Taking note of the incident, Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav had given 15 days to the police to crack the case.
He said, as per Telangana police, the two gunned down are also involved in eight other sensational incidents including a blast in UP's Bijnore district in Oct 2014 last year and incidents of dacoity in various parts of the country.
