Clueless Phagwara police struggle to solve HDFC Bank robbery case

Despite multiple claims and extensive efforts, the local police have been unable to make significant progress in the bank robbery case that took place nearly a week ago. Seven days after the shocking incident, the robbers remain unidentified and the authorities have yet to make any arrests.

Advertisement

On May 30, three masked, unidentified robbers looted Rs 38,34,900 at gunpoint from the HDFC Bank branch in Rihana Jattan village, near Phagwara, in broad daylight. The robbers, who fled with the substantial sum, are still at large, raising serious concerns about law enforcement’s ability to resolve one of the region’s most daring bank heists in recent months.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora, who visited the crime scene shortly after the incident along with Superintendent of Police (SP) Rupinder Kaur Bhatti and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bharat Bhushan, confirmed that multiple police teams have been deployed to trace the culprits. However no arrests have been made and no concrete leads have emerged.

“The investigation is ongoing. We are pursuing several leads and working with technical teams to analyze CCTV footage and other digital evidence,” SSP Toora told The Tribune. He added that the vehicle used in the crime—a white Hyundai Verna—was traced through its number plate, Punjab-07AZ-2000. However, the registration turned out to be falsified. The robbers reportedly used a fake number plate to mislead investigators, making the case even more complicated.

According to HDFC Bank branch manager Ranjit Chohan, the robbers executed the crime with precision. One of the robbers overpowered the bank’s security guard, Taranjit, while the other two stormed into the bank and forced their way into the manager’s office. Holding Chohan and a colleague from the Gold Loan Department at gunpoint, they coerced the manager into unlocking the cash cabin.

Cashier Lovepreet Kaur was instructed to step aside while the robbers took the entire sum of Rs 38.34 lakh stored in a trunk. They also demanded keys to the server room and collected mobile phones from the staff and a customer present at the time, likely in an attempt to prevent immediate reporting of the crime.

Five employees—including Manager Ranjit Chohan, Cashier Lovepreet Kaur, Gold Loan Officer Sajan, Staffer Preeti, and Guard Taranjit—along with a customer, Ishwar Kumar, were present during the robbery. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Despite quick action and sealing of the crime scene, investigators have struggled to find strong leads. Police collected fingerprints from all staff members and seized CCTV footage and digital hardware from the bank for analysis. The hard drive has been sent for forensic examination, but the results are still awaited.

SSP Toora added that while the robbers’ use of a fake number plate suggests a planned and calculated crime, it has also made it more difficult to track their movements post-incident. “They seem to have prior knowledge of the bank’s functioning and timings,” the SSP noted.

As the investigation continues, the community remains concerned about the safety of local businesses, with the police yet to make a breakthrough in the case.