Two suspects involved in the high-profile Indian Overseas Bank locker heist in Lucknow were killed in separate police encounters, one in Lucknow and the other in Ghazipur. The heist, which took place at the bank’s Chinhat branch, saw 42 lockers looted, resulting in losses worth crores of rupees.
The first encounter occurred late Monday night on Kisan Path in Lucknow, where the police confronted a suspect, Sobind Kumar. When intercepted, Sobind opened fire at the police. In the retaliatory firing, he was critically injured and later succumbed to his injuries during treatment at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
The second encounter happened at the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border near Ghazipur. A team of Ghazipur police intercepted two suspects on a motorcycle during routine checks. When the suspects tried to ram their motorcycle into the officers and escape, they opened fire at the police. One suspect, Sunny Dayal, a wanted criminal with a ?25,000 bounty, was injured in the exchange of fire. He was taken to a local hospital but was declared dead on arrival. The other suspect managed to escape into the darkness.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Ghazipur, Iraj Raja, confirmed the death of Sunny Dayal, a resident of Munger, Bihar. Police recovered a pistol, stolen jewelry, ?35,500 in cash, and the suspects’ motorcycle from the scene.
So far, two suspects have been killed, and three others were arrested earlier in the week. Two members of the gang remain at large, and efforts are underway to track them down.
The Indian Overseas Bank’s Chinhat branch was targeted on Saturday night, where thieves broke into 42 lockers and made off with cash, gold, and silver worth several crores. Early on Monday, three suspects were apprehended following an initial police encounter. Among them, Arvind Kumar, a resident of Munger, Bihar, sustained a gunshot injury during the operation.
The arrested suspects confessed to orchestrating the heist with four other accomplices. Police have identified the mastermind as Vipin Kumar, a resident of Chinhat, who provided logistical support and insider information to the gang from Bihar.
Police have so far recovered ?3 lakh in cash, 1,889 grams of gold, 1,240 grams of silver jewelry, and firearms, including pistols and country-made weapons. Additional stolen items were seized during Monday night’s encounters.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Amit Verma stated that the bank’s inadequate security measures facilitated the heist. The police are also investigating lapses in the bank’s compliance with safety protocols.
