Surat SBI robbery cracked; two UP men held, Bihar mastermind identified

SURAT: The Surat Crime Branch has arrested two men from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Rs 50 lakh armed robbery at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in the Varachha area, police said on Wednesday.

Officials further added that the offence was executed by an interstate gang allegedly directed by a Bihar-based mastermind operating from jail.

The robbery took place on April 27 at around 1 p.m. at the SBI branch on L.H. Road.

Police said five or more men, aged between 25 and 30, entered the bank posing as customers and remained inside for some time before pulling out weapons such as pistols, threatening staff and customers, and holding them hostage.

According to investigators, the accused assaulted those present, beat them with cables and threatened to kill them.

They looted Rs 12 lakh from the cash counter and an additional Rs 38 lakh that had been delivered earlier to the branch, taking the total amount to Rs 50 lakh, along with several mobile phones belonging to employees and customers.

Police said the gang disabled the alarm system and seized mobile phones to prevent anyone from raising an alert.

They remained inside the bank for nearly an hour before fleeing on motorcycles. A case was registered at Varachha police station under Sections 310(2), 311 and 127(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 25(1)(A) of the Arms Act.

Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot said the investigation involved extensive coordination.

“Considering the seriousness of the offence, multiple teams of the Crime Branch along with local police worked using human intelligence and technical surveillance,” he said.