Six-year-old bank robbery solved

Tribune News Service

Karnal, July 18

With the arrest of four youths on Tuesday, the Karnal police claimed to have solved a six-year-old bank robbery of Rs 9.18 lakh that took place at Canara Bank in Barsat in 2012.

One of the accused in the case, identified as Anil alias Singhania, had been arrested by the Jind police two days back while another accused of this gang — Ankur, a resident of Barana village in Panipat — is already in Ambala jail in a loot case.

Surinder Singh Bhoria, Superintendent of Police (SP), told mediapersons at his office on Wednesday that the four youths arrested on Tuesday have been identified as Narinder Singh, a resident of Palheri village in Panipat district, Ravinder, a resident of Babail village in Panipat district, Lokesh and Kapil, residents of Bhambarehri in the district.

They were produced in court on Wednesday from where they were taken on four-day police remand as the police have to recover the remaining amount from them, he said.

They were arrested from their villages by two teams of CIA-1 headed by inspector Virender Singh on Tuesday who got a tip-off on July 12 about the involvement of these four persons in the bank robbery case of October 30, 2012, he said.

The police have seized three knives, three country made pistols and Rs 2.3 lakh from their possession, he added.

During interrogation, they confessed to having robbed the bank and said that they had planned the crime at Nilokheri where accused Narinder, Anil and Ankur were students of the Polytechnic there. Ankur was in need of money and brought country made firearms from UP for the crime, the SP said.

Lokesh took the manager under his control at knife point. He wounded him when the manager shouted. Ankur looted the cashier, while Narinder and Anil kept other staff members and public hostage. Ravinder and Kapil kept guard outside the bank on bike. After committing the crime, they escaped on bikes after firing into the air.

The Gharaunda police had registered a case under Section 395 and 397 of the IPC.

Later, all six members assembled at a rented room in Nilokheri where they distributed the looted Rs 9,18,899 among them.

During preliminary investigation, it came to light that Ankur, Ravinder, Narinder and Anil had fired at Shiv Kumar, former sarpanch of Barana village in Panipat. A case had also been registered under Section 307 in Panipat against them, SP Bhoria said.

Timeline 

• October 30, 2012: Six persons rob Rs 9.18 lakh from Canara Bank, Barsat. 
• July 12, 2018: CIA-1 incharge gets information about the accused.
• July 16: The Jind police arrest one gang member Anil alias Singhania.
• July 17: Two teams are constituted and four accused arrested from their villages.
• July 18: Four accused produced in court from where they are taken on four-day police remand.