The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested three individuals on Saturday in connection with the multi-crore Bank of Maharashtra loot that took place in the Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand. The STF seized over 900 grams of gold and Rs 20 lakh in cash from the accused.
Investigation and Arrests
Following clues that pointed to criminals from eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Jharkhand police sought assistance from the UP STF. Senior STF officials deployed the Varanasi field units, led by inspectors Amit Srivastava and Anil Singh. Through the analysis of call records, CCTV footage, and informer inputs, the STF tracked down the Hazaribagh robbers near the Singhpur bypass under the Sarnath police station area.
The accused have been identified as Mohd Afzal of Nevada, Bihar; Pankaj Singh alias Raunak of Gorakhpur; and Saurabh Yadav of Mau. The STF recovered 912 grams of gold, Rs 20 lakh in cash, six mobile phones, and an SUV from their vehicle.
Background of the Gang
The STF’s initial investigation revealed that Mohd Afzal had previously murdered a Kolkata coal trader over a trade rivalry and was imprisoned. While in jail, he met Pankaj, Dashrath Mahto, Babu Raja alias Siddhrath, Sohail alias Faizal, Sunil Pandit, and others. After his release in 2012, the gang began targeting banks in a series of planned robberies.
On April 24, Afzal and his gang looted the Bank of Maharashtra’s Barhi branch in Hazaribagh following a multi-day reconnaissance of the area. Prior to this, the gang had stolen 36 kg of gold from a Durgapur gold loan firm in 2013. Between 2015 and 2022, they looted over 50 kg of gold in Kolkata, Gaya, Patna, and other locations.
Ongoing Probe
The STF is continuing its investigation to apprehend other members of the gang and uncover additional details about their criminal activities. The arrested individuals are being questioned to determine their roles in the various robberies.
