2 accused in Lucknow bank heist killed in encounters

Two criminals allegedly involved in the robbery at the Indian Overseas Bank's Chinhat branch in Lucknow were killed in separate encounters with Lucknow and Ghazipur police, officials said on Tuesday.

While Sobind Kumar, 26, was killed in an encounter with the Lucknow police near Kisan Path, Sunny Dayal, 28, was gunned down by the Ghazipur police and SWAT surveillance team in a separate encounter, they said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Chinhat, Radha Raman Singh, said Sobind Kumar, a native of Bihar, was one of the suspects wanted in the bank robbery.

On Monday, police intercepted two vehicles near Laualai village in the Chinhat area based on a tip-off. One of the suspects opened fire on the police team, prompting retaliatory firing. Sobind Kumar sustained a gunshot wound and later died, he said.

According to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar, Dayal, who carried a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head, was killed during a joint operation by Ghazipur's Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team and the Gahmar police.

Police said they attempted to stop two men on a motorcycle near the Bara police outpost during a routine check. However, the suspects tried to flee towards the Bihar border. A chase ensued, and the suspects were intercepted near Kutubpur, where they abandoned their vehicle and opened fire at the police.

“In retaliation, police shot Sunny Dayal, while the second suspect escaped under the cover of darkness.  Sunny was taken to a community health centre and later referred to Ghazipur District Hospital, where he was declared dead,” the DGP said.

Police recovered a .32-bore pistol, Rs 35,500 in cash, and stolen silver ornaments from his possession, he added.

The robbery at the Indian Overseas Bank's Chinhat branch took place on Sunday. The branch manager, Sandeep Singh, reported that thieves entered the bank by breaching the wall from an adjacent vacant plot and looted items from around 40 lockers.

In a statement, the bank called the incident a “regrettable security breach despite stringent measures” and assured its full cooperation with authorities.

Earlier on Monday, police arrested three suspects involved in the robbery. They were identified as Arvind Kumar (injured), Balram, and Kailash, all residents of Bihar. They were intercepted near Laualai village.

Four accomplices, including Sobind Kumar, Sunny Dayal, Mithun Kumar, and Vipin Kumar Verma, had managed to escape initially.