Hyderabad Police Bust Nepal-Based Gang; Four Arrested in IPS Officer’s Wife Murder Case
Hyderabad, Oct 26 (TNT): Hyderabad City Police have arrested four embers, including a woman domestic worker, of an alleged Nepal-based international murder-for-gain gang in connection with the murder of the wife of a retired IPS officer in Jubilee Hills in May this year.
The arrests were made by a joint team of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to track Nepal-based gangs, and Jubilee Hills Police near Nampally Railway Station on Monday, City Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said in a press conference here.
The victim, Tanuja Ranjan, wife of retired IPS officer Ray Vinay Ranjan, was found dead in her bedroom at her residence in Prashasan Nagar on May 8.
According to the police, her hands were tied and a cloth was stuffed into her mouth. The house had been ransacked, and gold jewellery and other valuables were missing.
Police said the accused had allegedly entered the house with the assistance of the domestic worker, Dharma Tiruwa alias Kalpana, who had been employed at the residence.
The gang allegedly smothered the victim to death and decamped with 225 grams of gold jewellery and other valuables, sais Sajjanar.
The four arrested persons were identified as Dharma Tiruwa alias Kalpana, 26; Ganesh B.K., 31; Chandra Bahadur Tamang alias Shanker Chandra Lama, 44; and Ganesh Bahadur Shahi, 37.
They are natives of Nepal and had been working in different locations in India.
Police seized Rs 51,130 in cash and other incriminating material from the arrested persons.
The investigation had earlier led to the arrest of prime accused Sunil Bahadur Aauji alias Sunil Pariyar and an alleged receiver of stolen property, Dilip Bahadur Mijar alias Sonar, on May 22.
Police recovered 26 grams of stolen property from them, the Commissioner said.
According to the investigation, Dharma had allegedly maintained contact with gang members based in Pune and provided information about her employer’s household and valuables.
The accused reportedly conducted a recce of the residence before executing the robbery during the intervening night of May 7 and 8.
After the crime, the gang members allegedly escaped through the rear gate, regrouped near Nampally Railway Station and travelled towards Kazipet, where they divided the stolen property before splitting into smaller groups to evade detection.
Police said the gang had subsequently disposed of the stolen valuables at different locations in Nepal.
The SIT conducted extensive searches across several States, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and also pursued leads along the India-Nepal border.
The team used technical surveillance, local intelligence and field inquiries to trace the suspectsm said Sajjanar.
He said the gang members were also planning similar offences in Bengaluru and Delhi.
These arrest had helped prevent further crimes, according to the Commissioner.
During the wider operation, the SIT also executed five pending non-bailable warrants against absconding Nepalese nationals and apprehended another alleged habitual property offender, Jeevan Chand, who was wanted in eight property offences registered in Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, among other places.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of DCPs Vaibhav Raghunath Gaikwad of the Commissioner’s Task Force and A. Ramana Reddy of Jubilee Hills, with teams led by SIT Inspector G.S. Daniel and Jubilee Hills Inspector D. Ashok.
The Commissioner appealed to residents, apartment associations and gated communities to verify the identity, residential and employment history, and references of domestic workers, cooks, watchmen and caretakers before hiring them.
He also advised residents to maintain visitor records, ensure CCTV systems are operational and report suspicious activities to the police.
Citizens can contact the police emergency numbers 100 or 112, or the Hyderabad City Police WhatsApp helpline at 94906 16555, for assistance, the Commissioner added.
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