BARBIL/KEONJHAR: Days after the armed daylight robbery at the Barbil branch of Bank of Maharashtra, police on Saturday arrested two persons from Dhanbad in neighbouring Jharkhand for their alleged involvement in the heist.
The accused are Kunal Raj Verma (37) and Raja Kumar Singh (33). Addressing a joint press conference in Dhanbad on the day, Keonjhar and Dhanbad police informed that acting on reliable inputs, they raided Maa Kamakhya Jeweller, owned by Raja, on Valjoria Road within Nirsa police limits.
The team led by Keonjhar SP Pratyush Mohapatra and Dhanbad police raided the jewellery shop and the godown below it following which searches were also conducted at Raja’s residence in Nirsa’s Pandra area.
During the searches, the cops seized 228 gram gold, two four-wheelers and four mobile phones.
“Further investigation is underway and more people will likely be arrested in this connection,” said police. The daylight heist had taken place on January 19. Armed robbers had decamped with 3.7 kg gold jewellery worth over Rs 5 crore along with Rs 4.35 lakh cash by holding staff and customers at gunpoint in the Bank of Maharashtra branch in Barbil.
The robbers had also taken the CCTV DVR with them while leaving. After the loot, they had allegedly escaped to Jharkhand via Noamundi road. Following the incident, Keonjhar police formed six teams and launched investigation in different places of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.