Gopalpur: Golanthara police in Ganjam district have arrested four members of an interstate gang accused of robbing Rs 35 lakh from a man on the pretext of offering cheap land.
The arrested men were identified as B. Trinath Rao of Kapu Sahi in Brahmapur, P. Loknath alias Suriya of Madhurawada, Y. Ravindra Babu of Anandapuram and V. Satyanarayana of Gajuwaka in Andhra Pradesh.
According to police, the gang allegedly lured people with offers of cheap land and gold before targeting them. On August 10, a man identified as Prabhu Swain had gone to Golanthara Chatti carrying Rs 35 lakh as an advance for a proposed land deal.
The accused allegedly arrived in an Innova car fitted with a police siren, hit Prabhu and fled with the cash and his mobile phone. Police registered a case and formed two teams to investigate the robbery.
Through mobile phone tracking and with assistance from Visakhapatnam police, three accused were arrested in Andhra Pradesh, while Trinath Rao was arrested in Brahmapur.
Police recovered Rs 6.92 lakh, 14 mobile phones, a Wi-Fi device, an Innova car, two fake number plates and eight pieces of fake gold from the accused. Three other suspects are absconding.