Police thwart robbery, notorious Limbu held

Police on Sunday arrested notorious criminal Rajan Limbu and his two accomplices while they were attempting to escape after looting over Rs 300,000 in cash and other valuables from Guna Multipurpose Cooperative Limited (GMCL), Pulchowk.

Also known as Jwala, Limbu, 28, was arrested along with his close aides Bhakta Bahadur Lama, 33, of Bethan VDC-5, Ramechhaap, and Sunil Thakuri, 25, of Ratnanagar Municipality-13, Chitwan in the incident. Originally from Dharan Municipality, Sunsari, Limbu is one of the most wanted criminals of Kathmandu Valley.

According to police, Limbu is the mastermind behind the looting of various financial institutions in the capital during the last two months. Among others, his gang has been held responsible for looting Oriental Finance Company and Prabhu Money Transfer in the capital city a few months ago.

Eyewitnesses said at least four robbers, who came in a taxi and a motorcycle, barged into the GMCL office at 12.45 pm One among the armed looters stayed on the ground floor to keep a lookout for police while three others climbed to the first floor to rob cash and valuables at the finance office.

Officials at GMCL said the pistol-wielding robbers first overpowered the guards on duty and threatened all staff and customers at gunpoint, to gather in a room before taking money from the cash vault.

According to GMCL staffer Pramila Singh, they collected over Rs 300,000 from the cash vault and snatched three gold chains and a mangalsutra (a golden necklace)

from bank staff within five minutes.

Their plan to flee the scene however was foiled by locals and police personnel who reached the robbery site. According to Chief of Lalitpur District Police Office (DPO) Madhav Prasad Nepal, at least four separate units of police from Pulchowk, Sanepa, Mangal Bazar and the DPO, Lalitpur were mobilized to nab the robbers soon after they were informed about the incident. "We succeeded in apprehending three of the four robbers within seven minutes," said SP Nepal.

Eyewitnesses said one of the robbers tried to jump off the terrace of a building next to the GMCL building as hundreds of locals and mobile police personnel encircled the GMCL office building. Two of the looters attempted to flee the scene by firing at least two rounds in the air. Police with the help of locals succeeded in arresting the trio. No one was injured in the incident.

According to DPO, Lalitpur, police recovered Rs 3,09,590 in cash, three gold rings, three automatic pistols with magazines and 11 bullets from the arrested trio.

Police also seized a Jialing motorcycle used by the robbers. Further investigations are continuing.