HYDERABAD: In a brazen early morning attack in the heart of Hyderabad’s commercial zone, a 26-year-old garments merchant from Kerala was shot in the leg and robbed of Rs 6 lakh outside the State Bank of India’s main branch at Koti on Saturday.The victim, PV Rinshad of Kozhikode, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he is undergoing treatment Police formed special teams to hunt down the two armed assailants.Investigators said Rinshad reached the bank at around 6.50 am to deposit ₹6 lakh in cash at the ATM when the attackers struck, firing at him before fleeing with the money and his scooter.Rinshad, who trades in readymade children’s wear, had been staying at Janath apartments in Nampally and frequently travels between Kerala and Telangana for business. Police said he arrived in Hyderabad on Jan 7 with Rs 6 lakh to purchase wholesale stock at Dewan Devdi. As the deal did not materialise due to the unavailability of specific stock, his cousin advised him to deposit the cash in his bank account.On Saturday morning, Rinshad went to the SBI branch on a scooter borrowed from a local friend, Ameer, and parked it near the ATM kiosk abutting the bank on Bank Street.Two assailants reached the ATM from the adjacent bus stop. “While Rinshad was depositing the cash, two unidentified persons approached him from behind and threatened him by pressing a firearm against his abdomen. While snatching the cash bag, the assailants fired two rounds and one of them hit Rinshad in his right leg, causing a bleeding injury. The accused snatched the cash bag and the scooter keys from the victim. They fled on the victim’s vehicle,” Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said.The Clues team recovered two bullet casings from the spot. “It appears like the accused had used a country-made weapon,” Khairatabad DCP K Shilpavalli said.Alerted by bank security personnel, Sultan Bazar police rushed to the spot and shifted Rinshad to a nearby hospital. “The victim is out of danger and said he does not know the assailants,” Shilpavalli said.Escape on footPolice teams immediately scanned CCTV footage from the crime scene and surrounding areas. The footage showed that while one assailant wore a face mask, the other had a cap. The duo fled towards the Chaderghat traffic signal and later abandoned the scooter at Nimboliadda in Kacheguda. “After changing their clothes, they escaped on foot towards Kacheguda X Roads,” an investigator said.Based on Rinshad’s complaint, Sultan Bazar police registered a case under sections 109 (attempt to murder) and 309 (robbery) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with section 27 of the Arms Act. Five special teams comprising local police, task force and central crime station personnel were formed to nab the accused.
