Davangere Superintendent of Police Uma Prashanth shows the gold ornaments, recovered from the six accused in the SBI Nyamathi branch robbery case, to MP Prabha Mallikarjun in Davangere.
Credit: DH Photo
Davangere: Davangere police probe into the SBI Nyamathi branch heist case revealed that those who broke into the bank and stole 17.7 kg gold worth Rs 13 crore did it in retaliation for the bank’s denial of a loan for their bakery business.
The accused lived near the bank and did not have a criminal background. A cylinder found behind the branch led the police to the accused.
The case took place in October 2024 and Davangere district police succeeded in nabbing six accused recently.
Addressing media persons here on Monday, Superintendent of Police Uma Prashanth said Ajaykumar and his brother Vijaykumar, both natives of Tamil Nadu, were running a bakery in Nyamathi for many years. They wanted to expand their business. So, Ajaykumar, an SBI customer, approached the bank officials for a loan.
According to the accused, the bank staff assured him loan and even accepted a bribe. However, they denied loan citing a low credit score. Angered by this, Ajaykumar decided to rob the bank and shared this with his brother Vijaykumar. Three months before the crime, the two brothers discussed their plan with Paramanand, Abhishek, Chandrashekhar and Manjunath from Tamil Nadu at Surahonne School. They convinced them to rob the bank as they needed money to lead a luxurious life, the SP added.
They searched internet, watched web series
The SP said the accused, who are in their 30s, searched the internet and watched web series including ‘Money Heist’ to get ‘tips’ on bank robbery. They zeroed in on October 26, 2024 to break into the bank as there were three consecutive holidays. They bought monkey caps, gloves, black shirts and pants used in the crime from the market.
“Around 15 days before the crime, Vijay went around the bank to prepare themselves well. They went there at night and observed all kinds of movements including police for a long time,” the SP added.
Destroying evidence
SP Uma said after the robbery, Vijayakumar hid the stolen gold in a trunk of a silver colour Duster car in his house. During interrogation, he admitted that he had destroyed the caps and gloves and thrown the hydraulic cutter, gas cylinder and other items into Savalanga lake. He crushed the hard disk and DVR of the branch with stones and threw them into the lake.
Hiding the gold
In November, Vijaykumar drove to his native in Tamil Nadu in his car. His house was in a deserted area outside the town, surrounded by dense forests. He had filled a small locker with the gold and kept it in a well about 25 to 30 feet deep.
He took a small portion of that gold and deposited it in banks and gold shops in his and his relatives’ names to get money. He gave Abhishek, Chandrashekhar and Manjunath Rs one lakh each and built a big house in the town, bought some residential plots, and gave some gold to his relatives. He planned to take out the remaining gold only after two to three years, when the police gave up on the investigation, the SP explained.
She said a cooking gas cylinder was found 15 days ago in a deserted area behind the bank. The numbers and letters on it were erased. A deeper investigation brought the crime of the brothers Ajaykumar and Vijaykumar to light.