ROURKELA: Sundargarh Sadar police on Tuesday arrested a 21-year-old youth while he was allegedly attempting to rob the Kandabahal branch of Odisha Gramin Bank for the second time in two months. Police also arrested two of his accomplices and also detained a juvenile allegedly involved with them in the crime.
The main accused, Gourav Majhi of Lefripada, had looted Rs 2.82 lakh from the same bank at gunpoint, with his face covered by a mask, on September 7. He studied in Bhedabahal College in Kandabahal area and stayed in a private hostel in the locality.
Sundargarh SP Amritpal Kaur said that while the investigation into the earlier robbery was underway, police received information on Tuesday afternoon about another loot attempt at the same branch. She said both incidents followed the same pattern. Teams from Sadar, Town and Bhasma police stations swiftly cordoned off the area and arrested Majhi.
The SP said Majhi claimed he had borrowed a camera worth around Rs 50,000 from a friend and rented it out to another person, who subsequently fled with it. Unable to repay the cost of the camera, he planned to rob the bank, she said.
Kaur said Majhi had discussed the plan with his friends, Akash Kishan (22) and Rabi Kishan (21), both from Sambalpur district, who arranged a country-made pistol for the robbery. During Tuesday’s attempt, Majhi did not enter the bank. Instead, he broke the glass panels of a window at the rear of the building and threatened the bank staff with the pistol, demanding that they hand over the cash, police said.
The SP said further investigation was underway to recover the cash looted in September and trace the source of the illegal firearm. Police said Majhi and his two associates were produced before a court on Wednesday, while the juvenile was presented before the Juvenile Justice Board.
