Singrauli, April 20 (IANS) The four remaining accused in the sensational Bank of Maharashtra robbery case in Waidhan town of Singrauli have been identified and will be arrested soon, Singrauli Superintendent of Police Manish Khatri said on Monday.
“All four accused — Pankaj from Jharkhand, Chhotu from Bihar, Rajesh Kumar from Giridih in Jharkhand, and another accused from Nalanda in Bihar — have been identified. Raids are underway and they will be arrested soon,” he said during a Press conference.
The fresh breakthrough in the case came after the interrogation of the arrested accused, Kamlesh Kumar, who was nabbed from a railway route in Bihar while attempting to flee.
During sustained questioning, Kamlesh Kumar alias Gorelal revealed key details about his accomplices, which helped police establish their identities and track their possible locations.
Kamlesh Kumar was arrested with the assistance of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Dehri-on-Sone on Saturday, who was brought to Singrauli on Sunday and produced before the court.
According to police, the accused tried to escape after spotting police personnel but was swiftly overpowered. During the search, officials recovered Rs 15.72 lakh in cash and around 61 grams of gold jewellery worth over Rs 9 lakh from his possession, believed to be part of his share in the robbery.
The accused was produced before a district court in Waidhan on Sunday and was remanded to eight days of police custody for further interrogation. Police said his custodial questioning is yielding crucial leads about the remaining accused and the looted property.
Investigators have also found that Kamlesh has a criminal background in Bihar. He is facing two FIRs in Nalanda district, including cases related to loot and ransom, and had spent nearly one year in jail earlier. Officials said his past record is being further verified with Bihar Police and jail authorities.
Police said Kamlesh was one of the five armed men involved in the daring daylight robbery carried out on Friday. The accused entered the Bank of Maharashtra branch around 1 P.M., took customers and staff hostage at gunpoint, and forced the bank manager to open lockers containing pledged gold. The manager was assaulted, and warning shots were fired to create panic.
Within just 15 minutes, the robbers looted around Rs 20 lakh in cash and 7 to 10 kilograms of gold jewellery worth nearly Rs 15 crore. They fled on two motorcycles towards the Chhattisgarh border. CCTV footage from nearby areas has captured their movement, while a country-made pistol recovered near Masjid Tiraaha is being examined as part of the investigation.
Singrauli district shares its borders with Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while Bihar and Jharkhand are located nearby, making the region sensitive for inter-state movement. Police said this geographical factor is being taken into account, and close coordination has been established with police teams in neighbouring states to track the absconding accused.
Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh Police has announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the absconding accused. The decision was taken after Director General of Police Kailash Makwana reviewed the case and directed officials to strengthen inter-state coordination and expedite the investigation.
Police teams from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are jointly working on the case. Officials said further interrogation of the arrested accused is expected to yield crucial leads, help recover the remaining stolen property, and expose the entire network behind the high-profile robbery.
–IANS
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