SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 24: In a breakthrough in the Bank of Maharashtra robbery case in Odisha’s Keonjhar district, a joint team of Odisha and Jharkhand police recovered 288 grams of looted gold from Nirsa and Sindri areas of Dhanbad. Two accused involved in the robbery have been arrested.
Joint Police Operation in Dhanbad
Addressing a joint press briefing on Saturday, Dhanbad City Superintendent of Police Ritvik Srivastava and Additional Superintendent of Police, Keonjhar (Odisha), Pratyush Mahapatra, said the recovery was made following coordinated search operations at multiple locations in Dhanbad.
During the operation, police also seized two Scorpio vehicles used in the dacoity and four Android mobile phones that were used during the crime.
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The arrested accused were identified as Rajkumar Singh (27), a resident of Jamui district in Bihar, who was currently living in Chasnala South Colony, Dhanbad, and Kunal Raj Verma (33), a resident of Nirsa block in Dhanbad district.
Robbery Worth Over ₹5 Crore
Police said that on January 19, unidentified criminals looted gold worth over ₹5 crore from the Bank of Maharashtra, Birbal Branch, in Keonjhar district of Odisha.
Following the incident, a case was registered on January 19 under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act. During the investigation, Odisha police received vital leads linking the accused to Dhanbad.
“After getting the input, a police team came to Dhanbad and conducted raids at different locations. With the support of Dhanbad police, we arrested two main accused and recovered looted gold and vehicles used in the dacoity,” said ASP Pratyush Mahapatra.
Both Dhanbad City SP Ritvik Srivastava and ASP Pratyush Mahapatra said that the investigation is still underway, and further recoveries and arrests cannot be ruled out.
