Jobless techie attempts robbery at bank manager's house in Pune; arrested

Pune: A indebted and jobless IT professional hailing from Manipur allegedly entered a bank manager's house here posing as a courier delivery agent and tried to rob his son at gunpoint, police said on Tuesday.

The accused, however, ran out of luck as he was overpowered by the bank manager's brother and handed over to the police following the incident last week, they said.

The 40-year-old man seemed to have committed the crime out of desperation as he was jobless and unable to pay the EMIs for two flats owned by him, the police said.

A licensed gun, 19 live rounds, and a kukri (a sharp weapon) were recovered from his possession. The accused has been arrested under sections related to robbery, causing hurt, as well as provisions of the Arms Act, the police said.

The incident took place on July 31 evening at a housing society in Pimple Gurav area of Pune district.

The accused, identified as Sangboi Kom Serto, was a native of Manipur and lived with his family in the NIBM area of Pune, Senior Police Inspector Jitendra Koli told PTI.

"The accused came to Pune 12 years ago and was working as a business analyst in a private firm. However, he lost his job last year. After that, he became debt-ridden and penniless as he struggled to pay the EMIs for his two flats," Koli said.

The probe suggested the accused frequently visited a nationalised bank in Sangvi area, where he noticed the manager and hatched a plan to rob him of Rs 8 to 10 lakh. He allegedly followed the manager to his residence and conducted a recce of the house, the official said.

"Around 6 pm last Thursday, the accused went to the manager's housing society and rang the bell. When the bank manager's son opened the door, the accused posed as a courier agent and claimed to be delivering bank-related documents," Koli said.

"He asked the boy to get his father's ID for verification. As the boy turned around, the accused forced his way inside. When the boy asked why he entered, he pointed a gun at his chest and demanded cash and valuables," Koli said.

While the accused was threatening the boy, the bank manager's brother, who was in the house, overpowered him from behind, pinned him down, and alerted the police.

The brother of the bank manager suffered injuries in the incident, the official said.

"A police team reached the spot and arrested the accused. We have recovered a licensed gun, 19 live rounds, a kukri, and a suspicious object resembling an explosive, which turned out to be fake," Koli said.

The accused had done some business management courses and previously worked as a business assistant. He lived in Pune with his wife and two children.

"As per preliminary information, he owns two flats in the NIBM area. After losing his job a year ago as business analyst at an IT firm, he defaulted on loan repayments. Initially, he managed EMIs using his savings, but later ran out of money. It appears he took this step out of desperation," Koli said.