Barbil Bank of Maharashtra Heist Cracked: 7 Kg Gold & 4.5 Lakh Loot, Bihar-Jharkhand Gang Busted
Barbil – In a major breakthrough, police in Kendujhar district have unravelled the sensational bank robbery that shook Barbil last month.
On January 19, masked assailants stormed the Bank of Maharashtra’s Barbil branch, holding staff and customers hostage at gunpoint before fleeing with approximately 4.5 lakh in cash and nearly 7 kilograms of gold.
Swift action by Barbil police initially led to the arrest of three suspects identified as Raja Kumar Singh alias Raja, Kunal Raj Verma, and Abhiranjan Kumar.
Authorities seized two Scorpio SUVs (JH10DB3834 and JH10DA6390), 279.77 grams of gold ornaments, two mobile phones, a motorcycle, and a country-made pistol from their possession.
In the latest operation, police apprehended two more accused from Bihar: Santosh Kumar alias Paswan (38) from Vaishali district and Nabin Kumar alias Yadav (30) from Patna.
The arrests yielded a gold chain, a ring, two Vivo mobile phones, and Aadhaar cards.
The gang’s earlier associates included Raja Kumar Singh (26) of Sindri, Dhanbad; Kunal Raj Verma (34) of Nirasha, Pandramor; Abhiranjan Kumar (44) of Tasarabasti, Sindri, currently residing in Deo Jhar under Joda police limits; and Sipu Kumar (42) of Dariyapur, Patna.
During interrogation, Santosh Kumar and Nabin Kumar confessed to involvement in multiple past crimes.
Santosh faces cases of robbery and fraud in Arwal, Jehanabad, and Patna, while Nabin has a record of murder, robbery, and violent clashes in Patna, Vaishali, and Jehanabad.
Barbil Police IIC Ashok Kumar Nayak confirmed that the arrests expose a large interstate gang operating across Bihar and Jharkhand.
The seized gold ornaments have been identified as belonging to the Bank of Maharashtra. Authorities anticipate further arrests and revelations as the investigation progresses
