ICICI Bank robbery: Accused sent to judicial custody; was in debt, say Maharashtra cops

The police said Dubey the accused was in a debt of over ₹1 crore and had taken loans. He also had lost around ₹30 lakh in share market

Anilkumar Rajdev Dubey, 36, the accused held for the murder of an assistant ICICI Bank branch manager and injuring a cashier in Virar (East) last month, has been remanded in judicial custody by the Vasai court on Friday.

Anilkumar Dubey had also lost around ₹30 lakh in share market, said police.

On July 29 around 8pm, after the bank was closed, Dubey – an ex-employee of the bank – allegedly committed a heist worth ₹3.38 crore. Due to the month end, bank manager Yogita Nishant Chowdhary and cashier Shraddha Devrukhkar were tallying the gold and cash reserves to be submitted to the bank’s head office. After the employees left, he went to Chowdhary’s cabin and threatened to put gold worth ₹3.38 crore in a backpack and tried to flee. But she and Devrukhkar resisted and shouted for help. Dubey panicked and whipped out a knife and allegedly stabbed the women. Chowdhary died after her neck was slit, said police.

Hearing the commotion, some locals chased Dubey and handed him over to the police. Along with the bag containing the gold, the police also seized the car in which Dubey had come to the bank. Dubey was arrested under sections 397 (robbery and dacoity), 307 (attempt to murder) and 302 (murder) on a complaint filed by ICICI Bank manager Nitin Ambre on July 30.

Devrukhkar’s condition continues to remain critical and she is undergoing treatment in Lilavati Hospital, said senior inspector Suresh Warade of Virar police station.

The police said Dubey was in a debt of over ₹1 crore and had taken home, personal and car loans. He had also lost around ₹30 lakh in share market and thus planned to commit the heist to clear the arrears, said the official. He is lodged in Thane jail. Dubey did not show any remorse over the murder and refused to meet his wife who stays in Nallasopara with his mother and two children, said the police.

Dubey had joined ICICI Bank in 2019 and quit last August 2020 as the branch head. He joined Axis Bank at Naigaon as the branch head in August 2020. Axis bank sacked Dubey with immediate effect after his arrest.

According the police, Dubey had also stolen ₹26.84 lakh from Axis Bank. The amount was found to be missing during an audit of cash reserve. A case has been registered for the theft.