AHMEDABAD: A 50 lakh bank robbery at SBI’s Varachha branch in Gujarat’s Surat has unraveled into a multi-state crime conspiracy with links stretching from Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh, all controlled by an inmate of a Bihar jail.
Crime Branch investigations have revealed that the mastermind, notorious gangster Kundan Kumar alias Kundan Bhagat, allegedly orchestrated the entire operation from Patna’s Beur Jail using encrypted communication apps, while his gang conducted months of reconnaissance before executing the heist on April 27, during the Surat civic polls.
Crime Branch officials said the gang had conducted reconnaissance of nearly 10 bank branches across Surat before finalising the SBI branch in Varachha. The robbers allegedly chose the location strategically because metro construction in the area had reduced public movement and visibility.
Even more alarmingly, the gang reportedly timed the robbery during the Surat Municipal Corporation election period, calculating that a large portion of the police force would remain occupied with election duties. Investigators say the gang struck on the second day of polling when deployment on city roads was comparatively thinner.
Within minutes, the robbers stormed the bank and escaped with Rs 50 lakh in cash, triggering panic across the city.
None of the robbers attempted to cover their faces during the heist. Their movements and faces were captured clearly in CCTV cameras installed inside the bank. Crime Branch teams later matched the footage with criminal databases available through central agency portals, leading investigators to gradually identify the accused one after another.
During the probe, police uncovered another astonishing layer of secrecy within the gang. Officials said most of the robbers did not even know each other’s real identities.
Each accused allegedly operated using four to five aliases to avoid exposure if arrested. To maintain compartmentalisation, gang members were given only limited information about each other.
A Surat-based handler was assigned the responsibility of picking up and dropping gang members. However, even he was never shown complete photographs of the accused. Instead, he received only partial images mainly the lower half of faces to identify and transport them without learning their real identities.
Crime Branch investigations further revealed that all fake identity cards used by the accused were prepared from Madhya Pradesh. Officials said the forged Aadhaar and other documents carried genuine photographs of the gang members, but every other detail including names, addresses and identification numbers was fabricated.
Police suspect the documents were created through a single organised fake-document racket. Investigators have also pieced together how meticulously the robbery was planned.
On the day of the heist, the accused reportedly reached the bank nearly 45 minutes in advance posing as ordinary customers. They secretly photographed employees seated inside the branch and carefully studied staff movements, seating arrangements and cash handling patterns.
Police sources revealed that some gang members pretended to talk on switched-off mobile phones while actually conducting surveillance inside the bank.
Officials described the operation as “highly professional and militarily planned.”
After executing the robbery, the gang abandoned their bikes and escaped towards Himmatnagar before dispersing in different directions across states.
One accused, Shubham Kumar Thakur, allegedly fled to Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, where he received Rs 98,000 online through contacts linked to another accused, Vikas Singh. For seven consecutive days, Shubham reportedly kept changing locations to evade arrest.
However, Surat Crime Branch teams tracking technical surveillance inputs finally cornered him near an ashram in Ayodhya. Police records show Shubham is a hardened Bihar-based criminal with serious offences including murder, robbery and Arms Act cases registered against him.
During interrogation, Shubham disclosed the role of his associate Vikas Singh, a resident of Rae Bareli. Investigators said Vikas helped shelter gang members and conceal portions of the looted cash after the robbery.
Crime Branch teams later arrested Vikas from Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district and recovered Rs 93,000 in cash along with three mobile phones from the duo. The investigation has also revealed that the gang had quietly settled in Surat nearly two months before the robbery.
Using forged Aadhaar cards, the accused rented accommodations in Jahangirpura, Rander and Ved Road areas while posing as workers connected to the textile and diamond industries.
Police say the gang repeatedly surveyed banks, escape routes and surrounding roads during this period. One of the bikes used in the robbery had reportedly been stolen from Khatodara, while another was brought from Telangana and fitted with fake number plates.
Given the gravity of the crime, Surat Crime Branch constituted massive investigation teams comprising seven Police Inspectors and nearly 100 personnel. Officials examined over 1,000 CCTV cameras across Surat and surrounding routes during the operation. The footage eventually exposed that all three bikes used in the robbery a Splendor, Pulsar and Apache carried fake registration plates.
Meanwhile, police have now initiated legal procedures to secure transit remand of mastermind Kundan Bhagat from Bihar jail for direct interrogation in Surat.
The two arrested accused were already brought to Gujarat after obtaining four-day transit remand orders from a Gonda court. Investigators believe several explosive revelations are still likely to emerge as interrogation continues.
Police are now hunting for the remaining gang members and attempting to recover nearly Rs 49 lakh still missing from the robbery haul. Crime Branch officials also revealed a startling detail about the gang’s original plan.
The robbers had allegedly entered the bank not to loot Rs 50 lakh, but with the expectation of escaping with Rs 2-3 crore in cash. They had arrived carrying five large bags to transport the money.
However, because the cash counter and cash van contained far less money than anticipated at that moment, the gang could collect only Rs 50 lakh before fleeing.
In their rushed escape, the unused empty bags reportedly became a burden, forcing the robbers to dump them near the getaway bikes before disappearing.