Bihar link surfaces again in MP bank heists

Bhopal:Investigators are seeing a recurring Bihar trail in a string of high-value bank robberies across the state, with the latest heist in Singrauli echoing earlier heists inJabalpur andKatni.Investigators say the gangs carried out swift, well-planned strikes, zeroing in on banks holding large quantities of pledged gold and appearing to have prior knowledge of layouts and routines. A senior police official, however, cautioned against linking such incidents to a single network.In Singrauli — a daylight robbery at a Bank of Maharashtra branch on April17 — five armed men walked in, held staff and customers hostage and escaped with Rs 20 lakh in cash and gold worth about Rs 5 crore, all within 15 minutes.Police say the method closely matches earlier heists, particularly the Aug 2025 robbery at an ESAF Small Finance Bank branch in Jabalpur, where around 15 kg of gold and Rs 5 lakh were looted. In that case too, the gang had carried out a recce, rented accommodation in advance and mapped multiple escape routes.A similar blueprint was seen in the 2022 Katni gold loan robbery, where around 16 kg of gold and cash were stolen. Investigations later pointed to a Bihar-based gang led by history-sheeter Subodh Singh, with operatives travelling from outside the state, conducting groundwork locally and fleeing immediately after the crime.Police found that the gang rented a house and planned the heist for days, with looted gold allegedly smuggled out of the country.Across all three cases, officials point to striking similarities — use of firearms, quick execution within minutes, prior reconnaissance and a clear focus on gold kept in bank lockers. The accused also displayed familiarity with internal arrangements of the branches, suggesting detailed planning before the strikes.A senior police official said: "Though the main accused in all such recent cases of the past are from Bihar, this does not seem to be a case of one single organised gang or group, but these seem to be isolated groups that executed the robberies."Police teams across districts are scanning CCTV footage, and tracking interstate links to identify and arrest those involved in the latest heist.