Bhubaneswar, Nov. 15: Police today arrested two businessmen, who hailed from Bihar, in connection with a bank robbery that took place here on September 28.

The accused have been identified as Vijay Saha, 52, and Bhagawat Thakur, 35. Saha runs a hardware store in Begusarai, while Thakur is engaged in transport business in Patna and Mahua in Bihar. The police are yet to nab the gang leader.

Five armed dacoits had looted cash worth Rs 13 lakh and gold ornaments weighing around 1kg from the Rajmahal Square branch of UCO Bank after confining the bank officials and customers present in the branch.

The police said both the accused would be produced in the local court in Bihar and brought here under transit remand. "Several police teams had conducted raids in various parts of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Bengal. During the course of investigation, we have also gathered information about another gang involved in similar offences in other districts of the state," said police commissioner Y.B. Khurania.

Further investigation revealed that the accused used to produce fake IDs to book hotel rooms in other states, where they had committed the same crime. "After the crime was committed, the gang members used to leave the place after dividing the booty among themselves," said the police officer.

The goons, who had arrived at the UCO Bank branch in the guise of customers, had taken around 30 customers and 11 bank officials hostage and also assaulted most of the bank officials during the operation, which had lasted around one hour.

The criminals completed the operation in such a hush-hush manner that even the shop owners around the bank and passers-by got no inkling of what was happening inside the bank.

The police said the gang had done recce of the UCO Bank branch five times in two months before the robbery.

"They also conducted recce of around six bank braches in various parts of the city but selected this particular branch as it did not have a security guard. The group travelled on trains and preferred not to stay in hotels in Bhubaneswar to avoid any suspicion," said a police officer.

The police also said the two accused were doing their business normally after the robbery. "We suspect the gang of being involved in similar bank robberies in Bihar, Bengal and Jharkhand. We hope to nab the gang leader at the earliest," said the officer.