Bokaro police make catch in SBI burglary but Hasan Chikna escapes

Shashank Shekhar

Bokaro ( Jharkhand) : Bokaro police on March 27, 2018, night arrested notorious criminal Chotu Kumar  along with five gold biscuits (weighing about 250 grams) and Rs 50,000 cash from Rajmahal (Sahebganj)  in the sensational SBI bank burglary on December 24, 2017, late night, in which 10 criminals took away gold and diamond ornaments along with cash worth over Rs 15 crore after cutting down the `most secured’ claimed 72 bank lockers belonging to 72 persons in the heart of Bokaro Steel  City. The looted ornaments were seized  from a  jewllery shop where it was sold by the criminals.

Though the kingpin of the gang Hasan Chikna succeeded in giving a slip to police and escaping to Bangladesh but so far 5 persons are in police net along with a vehicle of Dhanbad which was used by the gang for ferrying 10 criminals  from Dhanbad to Bokaro and even transporting the ornaments and cash.

This is the fifth arrest made in bank burglary case in which each criminals were paid 1kg ornaments which were distributed  by the wife of Hasan Chikna who measured them at her house as per an arrested criminal who is missing now. The other arrested criminals  are: Jitu Ghosh, Salim Sheikh, Jitendra Singh, and Mohammad  Javed.

As per police all the gang members reached Bokaro by an autorickshaw and got down at  Naya Mor near SBI administrative building on December 24, 2017, night,  and later entered  the bank cutting the rear grill  and cut down 72 lockers using gas cutter and took away the precious items mentioned  above. All the criminals are from Sahebganj while Mohammad Javed is from Dhanbad  from whose house the autorickshaw has been recovered .

The first be arrested was Jitu Ghosh, who gave details of the planned burglary, after which Salim Sheikh was arrested followed by Jitendra, Mohamad Javed and now Chotu Kumar  from whose possession all looted gold chains have been recovered.

Talking to  the reporter on March 28, 2018, Bokaro SP Karthik S said that police have located the plush house of Hasan Chikna from where his wife has also escaped now but police teams are working hard to nab other criminals on the basis of vital clues. “ We are almost on verge of cracking the case as we have details about all gang members involved in the birglary,” stated SP Karthik S.

Meanwhile, a delegation of more than 24 bank customers who lost their precious items met  SBI Chief Manager R K Singh asking him to show which are the items that have been  handed over to bank by police so that  they can take it back after providing proofs.