Jabalpur bank robbery: J'khand gang with 15kg gold still untraceable
Six dedicated police teams have been dispatched, including units camping in Jharkhand, to track down the absconding robbers. Raids are being carried out at their suspected hideouts, officials said.
The robbery took place on the morning of Aug 11, when three helmet-wearing youths stormed into the Khitola branch of ESAF Small Finance Bank around 8.50 am. Brandishing pistols, they forced the staff to hand over nearly 15 kg of gold ornaments and Rs 5 lakh in cash.
Two accomplices waited outside with motorcycles, and the gang escaped within 20 minutes. At the time, only four employees were present in the bank. CCTV footage later revealed that the gang avoided the highway and fled via Majholi road.
Police investigations have revealed that the plan was hatched inside Raigarh jail in Chhattisgarh, where Raees Singh Lodhi of Patan, arrested earlier in a narcotics case, came into contact with members of the Jharkhand gang.
The heist was masterminded there, sources said.
Raees, after getting bail, provided crucial logistical support. He roped in local youths, including Sonu Verman, who arranged a rented house for the gang in Indrana and helped them with reconnaissance of the bank and escape routes. Another accomplice, Hemraj, financed a new motorcycle in his name that was used in the crime.
After the robbery, the five Jharkhand gang members regrouped at their Indrana hideout before Raees and Hemraj escorted them safely to Damoh. There, another associate, Vikas Chakravarty, arranged meals for the robbers at a roadside eatery and later booked train tickets on the Kolkata Express to help them escape to Jharkhand.
Police have so far arrested three local youths and one from Damoh, but the main gang members remain at large.
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