Haryana heist inspired Mumbai robbery

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, December 12

A gang of thieves that broke into the Bank of Baroda’s branch at Juinagar in Navi Mumbai last month and made off with more than 11 kg gold was inspired by a similar burglary at Punjab National Bank’s branch in Haryana, the police said.

Interrogation of 10 persons arrested from different parts of the country so far has revealed that they had studied the heist at PNB’s branch at Sonepat in 2014. Gold and other valuables worth crores were stolen in that incident, the police said.

According to Navi Mumbai police officials, one of the masterminds behind the Navi Mumbai heist, Hajid Ali Mirza Ali Baig, who was out on bail in a different case had heard of the Sonepat heist from other criminals while in jail. On his release, Baig studied videos on the bank robbery posted on YouTube and other websites and thought of a plan to carry out a similar heist in Mumbai.

“Baig chose the Bank of Baroda’s branch at Juinagar since a shop was available for rent a few doors away,” a police officer said. Baig’s associate, Gona Bachchan Prasad, rented the store and began digging under the foundation in August.

Aware of the mobile phone surveillance practice of the police, the gang left behind their phones at different locations while they undertook digging every night. During this time, the gang communicated using Chinese walkie talkies.

The gang may have gone scot-free but for the negligence of one of its members who called up a sex-worker, while escaping from the scene of crime. Scrutiny of mobile phone dump data from the vicinity of the bank revealed that the call was made to a number in Jalgaon in Maharashtra. Interrogation of the woman who owned the phone revealed that the caller was her regular customer and was hiding somewhere outside Mumbai.