Ex-cop among 4 robbers caught as villagers give chase; Rs 36cr bank heist foiled in Maharashtra

NASHIK: An audacious heist at a nationalised bank in a Jalgaon village ended in dramatic fashion on Saturday, with alert bank employees, villagers, police patils and local cops launching a relentless pursuit that saw all four robbers arrested within hours and the entire loot recovered.The gang had stormed into the bank armed with a firearm, assaulted staff, fired a shot and escaped with Rs 12.3 lakh in cash and 27kg of pledged gold worth Rs 36.4 crore before an extraordinary chase brought their getaway to a halt.Among those arrested is a dismissed police sub-inspector who had recently secured bail in a similar bank robbery case. “Shankar Jasak, once posted in Raigad district police, had earlier been arrested in a bank robbery involving cash and gold in Jalgaon district and was released on bail only a few months ago. All four accused are habitual offenders with criminal records,” said inspector Shashikant Patil, of Jalgaon Taluka police.The robbery unfolded between 2.45pm and 3.15pm at the bank in Bhokar, a village of about 5,000 residents. According to the bank manager’s complaint, business was proceeding normally when four helmet-clad men entered the branch. Their faces were concealed with handkerchiefs. There were no other customers at the branch at the time.Within seconds, one of the men pulled out a firearm and threatened the security guard and a clerk. As he held them at gunpoint, the cashier discreetly pressed the alarm. The move angered the robbers. They rushed at the cashier and rained blows with a wooden stick on him, demanding that the alarm be switched off. The robbers then demanded keys to the strong room. Four employees were tied up with adhesive tape and forced to sit on the floor. When the bank employees resisted, the gang intensified the assault. The robbers even fired a shot at the security guard during the ordeal. The bullet missed the guard and he was not injured.The gang forced the manager and cashier towards the strong room. When the cashier refused to cooperate, another employee was untied and compelled to open it. The robbers stuffed bags with cash from the vault and counters before moving to the gold safe, where they packed mortgaged jewellery into multiple bags.Before fleeing, the gang herded bank employees near a washroom, tied their hands, taped their mouths shut and locked them inside.The escape plan, however, began unravelling almost immediately. Two employees managed to free themselves and rushed out of the bank just in time to spot the robbers speeding away on separate motorcycles. They alerted villagers to the robbery, and themselves set off in pursuit.What followed was a spontaneous village mobilisation.Word spread through Bhokar within minutes. Residents mounted motorcycles, alerted people in neighbouring villages and began tracking the fleeing gang across rural roads. Police patils joined the effort, relaying information and helping block possible escape routes.“My nephew, who has a service centre in the area, called and told me something was wrong inside the bank,” said Sambhaji Pawar, the father-in-law of the local village police patil. “I immediately informed Jalgaon Taluka police. The police station is nearly 30km away, but villagers had already begun chasing the robbers. At the same time, people in neighbouring villages were alerted to block roads and watch for suspicious vehicles.”“Bhokar is connected by four major roads,” said inspector Patil. “We immediately tightened surveillance and alerted police patils across the area. They gathered local residents and helped seal possible escape routes,” he added.The chase continued for nearly 17km through a network of village roads.The breakthrough came at Diksai village, where villagers intercepted two of the accused just as a police team reached the spot. The two robbers were identified as Ankush Tulshiram Pawar, alias Chavan (25), of Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, and Ankush Shravan Chavan (30), of Jalgaon district. Interrogation at the scene yielded vital clues about the direction taken by the remaining robbers. Acting swiftly, Dharangaon inspector Ramakant Gaikwad organised a road blockade, leading to the arrest of the other two accused, Gajanan Pawar (32) of Nashik district and Jasak.Police recovered the entire stolen haul, including all cash and the 27kg of pledged gold, bringing the operation to a successful conclusion within hours of the robbery.Police said the accused have extensive criminal backgrounds. Apart from Jasak’s previous bank robbery case, Gajanan Pawar faces a murder case, while Ankush Tulshiram Pawar has robbery cases registered at Muktainagar and Jamner police stations.Superintendent of police Shrikant Dhivre, who supervised the operation, later felicitated villagers whose swift response and pursuit proved crucial in cracking the case within hours.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nashik | Silver Rate in Nashik | Bank Holidays in Nashik | Public Holidays in Nashik | Petrol Price in Nashik | Diesel Price in Nashik | CNG Price in Nashik | LPG Price in NashikStay updated with the latest Nashik news. Download the TOI App.