Haryana gang leader held in bank heist case in Hindupur

Sri Sathya Sai district police said they have arrested a key member of an interstate gang operating from Gurugram in Haryana in connection with the sensational theft that took place at the Thumkunta branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) near Hindupur on July 26. The police added that they recovered stolen property worth ₹2 crore.

Addressing a press conference here, Superintendent of Police V. Ratna said the special teams led by Deputy SP (Hindupur) K.V. Mahesh seized about 2 kg gold ornaments, an SUV and a high-end motorbike, used for committing the crime. According to the police, the arrested, identified as Anil Kumar Panwar (45) of Haryana, had hit banks across the country and is wanted in over 18 criminal cases.

The SP said the special teams drawn from Anantapur, Chittoor and Tirupati districts tracked the accused as he kept moving across five States. He was finally apprehended in Rajasthan and brought here on a PT warrant. One of his accomplices involved in the Thumkunta bank heist was on the run, and a special team was on his trail, she said.

Ms. Ratna said Panwar masterminded the 2018 SBI JNTU College bank robbery and was released from the Coimbatore Central Prison in Tamil Nadu, were he served a five-year term, only a few weeks before he struck the Thumkunta branch.