HDFC Bank robbery case cracked, two youth held

With the arrest of two youth, the Amritsar (Rural) police today cracked a dacoity case in which armed persons had looted Rs 3.96 lakh from the HDFC Bank branch at Nawa Pind village on December 20.

The police also recovered a licensed .32 bore revolver used in the crime along with five bullets from the possession of suspects, besides Rs 1 lakh in cash, a car and two mobile phones.

Charanjit Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar (Rural), said the suspects were identified as Lovepreet Singh of Sarhali Khurd village and his cousin Gurnoor Singh of Kalla village in Tarn Taran district.

In his complaint, Vikas Kalia, branch manager, HDFC Bank, told the police that around 11.37 am on December 20, two persons one of them Sikh and other with shorn hair, entered the bank. They had covered their faces. The suspects pointed a revolver at the cashier while threatening to shoot him. On being threatened by the suspects, the cashier handed Rs 3.96 lakh to them. The suspects took money and fled from the bank. The police registered a case under Section 309 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act in this connection.

During preliminary interrogation of the suspects, it was found that they robbed the bank to pay money to the land owner from whom they took it on contract for farming. Lovepreet had only four acres of land while Gurnoor owned 12 acres. Apart from paying for the contract, the suspects were lured by the fancy lifestyle. They had also bought a white mare and a tractor from the looted money.

Lovepreet’s father was an ex-serviceman. The suspects used his weapon for robbing the bank. The SSP said recommendation would be sent to the district administration for the cancellation of the arms licence.