The Vijayapura police in Karnataka have recovered a significant portion of the loot from the Rs 21 crore heist at the State Bank of India (SBI)’s Chadchan branch from a house in neighbouring Maharashtra, said Laxman Nimbargi, Superintendent of Police, Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, police teams from Vijayapura and Solapur in Maharashtra recovered 6.55 kg of gold and Rs 41.4 lakh in cash, said the police. The gold jewellery was found in 136 packets along with the cash on the roof of a house in Huljanti village of Solapur district.
The robbery took place on September 16 when multiple masked men, wielding country-made pistols and other weapons, allegedly barged into the bank and overpowered the staff working there. It occurred at around 6.30 pm when the bank was closed to customers. The robbers allegedly looted Rs 1.04 crore cash and 20 kg of gold jewellery, worth Rs 21 crore in total.
The recovery was based on a lead after one of the suspects in the case had an accident at the Huljanti village, resulting in a confrontation with the local villagers. The suspect was learnt to have fled from the spot, abandoning part of the loot in the vehicle he was driving.
Following this, the police rushed to the spot and recovered the loot from the vehicle before a search in nearby houses led to the recovery from the roof of one of them.
In a news conference Friday, Vijayapura SP Laxman Nimbargi confirmed the recovery and said eight special teams were deployed to track the suspects and remaining assets. “We are confident of making arrests soon,” he said.
The police estimate that 13.45 kg of gold jewellery and Rs 62.6 lakh in cash are still missing.
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In May, a similar robbery occurred when thieves stole Rs 5.20 lakh in cash and 58.97 kg of gold jewellery valued at around Rs 53.26 crore from a Canara Bank locker at the Managuli village in the Vijayapura district. Following an investigation, the police arrested 15 suspects.