Daijiworld Media Network - Davanagere
Davanagere, March 31: In a breakthrough in the high-profile SBI theft case reported from Nyamati in Davanagere district in October 2024,the state Police have arrested six individuals and recovered over 17 kilos of stolen gold, worth Rs 13 crore. The gold was recovered from a remote well in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, officials confirmed.
The investigation into the robbery posed significant challenges for the police as the thieves managed to carry out the heist without leaving behind any evidence, such as fingerprints, CCTV footage, toll data, or cell phone records. However, after months of investigation, the police were able to trace the culprits to Tamil Nadu, ultimately leading to their arrest and the recovery of the stolen gold.
The six individuals arrested in connection with the robbery have been identified as Vijay Kumar (30), Ajay Kumar (28), Abheesheka (23), Chandru (23), Manjunath (32), and Paramananda (30). Vijay Kumar and Ajay Kumar are brothers, while Paramananda is their brother-in-law.
While the trio originally hailed from Tamil Nadu, they had been running a sweets business in Nyamati for many years. The other three accused, Abheesheka, Chandru, and Manjunath, are all from Nyamati.
The mastermind behind the heist was Vijay Kumar, who turned to robbery as a solution to his financial woes. His decision to target the Nyamati branch of the State Bank of India was partly influenced by his loan application for Rs 15 lac being rejected by the bank in August 2023.
According to Kumar, he was inspired by TV series like Money Heist and films about robberies and bank thefts, claiming he relied on YouTube videos to plan each step of the crime meticulously.
The robbery was carefully planned over a period of six to nine months, during which the gang took extreme measures to cover their tracks.
Vijay Kumar purchased all necessary equipment, including silent hydraulic iron cutters and gas cutting equipment. He even went as far as grinding off the serial numbers of the oxygen cylinders he purchased for the gas cutting operation.
Vijay Kumar enlisted the help of his brother Ajay, his brother-in-law Paramananda, and three friends – Abheesheka, Chandru, and Manjunath – to carry out the crime. Kumar and Chandru conducted multiple night-time reconnaissance missions to measure how long it would take to reach the bank via fields behind it and to monitor the movement of the police and the public.
On October 28, 2024, gold ornaments weighing 17.7 kg, which had been pledged at the Nyamati branch of SBI, were reported stolen after the weekend.
The robbers entered the bank premises through a window on the left side of the main banking hall after removing the iron grilles. One of the lockers in the strongroom was broken open with a gas cutter and emptied. Additionally, the robbers stole the DVR containing the CCTV footage of the bank.
In an unusual move to evade detection, the thieves spread chilli powder throughout the bank, including in the strongroom and manager’s cabin, to prevent a police dog squad from tracking their scent.
The case was handed over to assistant auperintendent of police (ASP) Sam Varghese, Channagiri sub-division, and under the supervision of superintendent of police, Davanagere, Uma Prashanth, various investigative teams were formed to pursue the case. These teams, led by ASP Varghese, deputy superintendent of police (Rural) B S Basavaraj, and Nyamati police station inspector Ravi N S, worked tirelessly to gather evidence from the crime scene and surrounding areas.
Despite comprehensive efforts, including combing searches and technical analysis of CCTV footage, mobile tower data, and toll records from inter-state tolls, the police found no immediate leads. The culprits had left no trace. However, through innovative investigative techniques, the police began to piece together information that eventually led them to Tamil Nadu.
Inquiries revealed the involvement of the six arrested individuals, and police swiftly launched operations to recover the stolen gold. A significant breakthrough occurred when, with the help of divers, the police recovered a locker containing 15 kg of gold from a 30-feet-deep irrigation well at a farm in Usalampatti, Madurai.
The successful recovery of the stolen gold and the arrest of the six accused marked the culmination of five months of relentless investigation by the Davanagere police, bringing a major breakthrough in a case that had initially stumped authorities.