ITANAGAR, Dec 21 � A breakthrough was made in the robbery of Rs 28 lakh from the Ganga branch of Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank on December 5 with the arrest of the prime accused and another person.
Acting on a tip-off, police arrested one Tapo Marde, from Marde village in Upper Subansiri district on December 18 last and during the course of interrogation he admitted his direct involvement in the case with two other accomplices, namely, Gichik Tasung and Lingdum Kon, Capital SP Seiju P Kuruvilla said in a statement today.
�The arrested accused also informed that the entire operation of the bank robbery was the handiwork of one Hiba Tajuk, who hatched the conspiracy with them, and also provided small firearm for its execution,� the SP said.
On the basis of his confessional statement, Hiba Tajuk of Lorputung village near here was arrested on December 19 and Rs 6,43,000 was recovered from his possession, Kuruvilla said. Hiba was earlier arrested for his involvement in Axis Bank robbery case of Naharlagun and was out on bail. A manhunt was on to nab Gichik Tasung and Lingdum Kon, the SP said.
The bank robbery occurred on December 5 last when two of the three armed youths entered the branch leaving one of them at the entrance as guard. They overpowered all the bank officials and staff at gunpoint and forced the assistant manager and cashier to open the chest with which they decamped.
Currency notes worth Rs 8 lakh got strewn on the road as the robbers were escaping in haste, which were recovered by the bank staff later.� PTI