Singrauli bank heist: 3 more held, cops eye Bihar jail don as most gold remains missing

Bhopal: More than a month after the daring Bank of Maharashtra heist in Singrauli, in which cash of around Rs 22 lakh and gold worth over Rs 5 crore was looted in broad daylight, police have arrested three more accused from Bihar and are now preparing to take an alleged mastermind lodged in Beur jail in Patna into custody for further investigation.The latest arrests — Prabhakar Singh alias Shamsher Singh, Ravinandan Kumar alias Chandan and Harshraj alias Aman Jaiswal — were made from Bihar in connection with the conspiracy behind the April 17 robbery. Police said the trio played a key role in planning the dacoity and helping dispose of the looted gold after the crime. The accused have been brought to Singrauli on transit remand and were subsequently sent on two-day police remand for interrogation.The fresh arrests come amid continuing efforts by police to crack the interstate network behind the sensational robbery, in which five armed men stormed a Bank of Maharashtra branch in Singrauli, fired a shot in the air and fled within minutes with cash and pledged gold ornaments belonging to customers.Despite multiple arrests, however, most of the booty remains untraced. So far, police have recovered only around Rs 18 lakh in cash and nearly 70 grammes of gold — largely from the first accused, Kamlesh Kumar, who was dramatically caught aboard the Singrauli Express in Bihar less than 24 hours after the robbery due to the alertness of two RPF constables.Investigators suspect the gang operated through a wider criminal network spanning multiple states and prisons. Earlier, Singrauli police raided Kuchinda sub-jail in Odisha and Beur jail in Patna after interrogation of arrested accused revealed links with inmates lodged there. Cash, a mobile phone and documents were seized during those raids.“So far, six have been arrested in connection with the robbery. Detailed investigations are going on. Some gold and cash was recovered from the first accused who was arrested. We are now planning to take the main mastermind of the crime, who is lodged in jail in Bihar, into custody for further investigation and are hopeful of recovering the booty soon,” Singrauli SP Shiyaz K M told TOI.