4 robbers who posed as electricity dept officials to commit crimes arrested

Four persons, allegedly belonging to a gang that indulged in several robberies posing as employees of the electricity department, have been arrested, police said in Kanpur on Friday. The accused entered houses pretending to be Kanpur Electricity Supply Company employees. The fifth member of the gang is absconding, they said.

Items from the loot, two knives and two pistols have been recovered from their possession following their arrest on Thursday, police said. Robbers entered the house of a factory manager in Kidwai Nagar area pretending as electricity department employees on July 10 saying they wanted to check the electricity meter and fled with cash and jewellery from the house.

Similar such incidents had taken place following which a team was constituted to nab the culprits, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Kanpur police Yashasvi Yadav said.

The accused -- Pankaj Gihar, Shiv Kumar, Rohit Soni and Salman Ahmed -- were arrested from Swadeshi cotton mill field while their accomplice Manish Prajapati is on the run, Yadav said.

The four have confessed to the crime, police said, adding that the items looted from the factory manager's house were also recovered from their possession. On being interrogated, the accused disclosed their involvement in several robbery incidents in the area, including lifting of vehicles, police said.

Police is trying to get more information from them and search is on to nab the fifth gang member.