Patna, Jan. 21: After a spate of bank robberies in the state recently, Bihar police stamped their supremacy over the criminals in the past two days with the arrest of three alleged bank robbers from Samastipur and Nawada districts.
While an active member of an inter-state gang, Manoj Kumar Mahto, was arrested from Samastipur, Sanjay Kumar and his associate were nabbed at Nawada.
Mahto, a close associate of UP-based underworld don-turned-politician Harishankar Tiwary, was arrested in connection with the daylight robbery in the Central Bank of India in Samastipur district last Monday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team led by deputy superintendent of police (Samastipur Sadar) Rajiv Ranjan conducted a raid at Chhatauna village under Mufassil police station of Samastipur district late on Wednesday night and took Mahto into custody on the basis of the footage of the CCTV installed at the bank.
A senior police officer said Mahto confessed to his involvement in the bank robbery at the Central Bank of India’s Tada branch under Kalyanpur police station and disclosed the names of his associates. “Raids are on to arrest Mahto’s accomplices and recover the looted money,” he said.
Deputy inspector-general (Darbhanga range) Baldev Prasad and other police officers quizzed Mahto on Thursday. “The police have gathered vital clues in the bank robbery case,” he said.
Mahto reportedly admitted that he was involved in 25-30 robberies and dacoities in Bihar and UP. He told interrogators that eight members on four motorcycles descended on the Central Bank of India around 12 noon. While five armed persons entered the bank, three stood outside. The entire operation lasted around 15-20 minutes, a senior police officer quoted Mahto as saying. The criminals had looted Rs 15 lakh from the bank, the officer said.
In another operation, the Nawada police arrested Sanjay with his aide and recovered Rs 1.35 lakh. Nawada superintendent of police Gandheshwar Prasad Sinha said a team conducted a raid at Maji village on Thursday night and arrested the duo, wanted in connection with the loot of about Rs 7 lakh from a Union Bank of India branch last year.
