Hindupur bank heist: key accused held in Rajasthan, gold worth ₹3.5 crore seized

In a breakthrough in the Hindupur SBI bank robbery case, the Sri Sathya Sai district police, on Thursday, arrested the second key member of the inter-state gang in Rajasthan and recovered gold ornaments worth ₹3.5 crore, taking the total seizure in the case to ₹5.5 crore.

Addressing the media at the Upgraded police station, Superintendent of Police S. Satish Kumar said that the accused, identified as Mohammed Ishrar Khan alias Ishrar, is a resident of Karauli district of Rajasthan. He was taken into custody under a PT warrant, along with the seized ornaments.

The SP said that the case pertained to a robbery at the State Bank of India branch at Thumukunta Industrial Area under Hindupur rural limits in July 2025.

Earlier, the police arrested the prime accused, Anil Kumar Panwar, a resident of Haryana, in August and seized 2 kg of gold worth ₹2 crore, along with a car and a motorcycle used while committing the crime.

The police officer said that the accused were seasoned offenders with criminal records across multiple States. “Both accused are habitual bank burglars who targeted financial institutions after conducting detailed reconnaissance. They were involved in 14 criminal cases registered across India, including major bank robbery cases in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu,” Mr Satish Kumar said.

Police teams led by Deputy SP K.V. Mahesh (Hindupur) worked in coordination across States to crack the case.