Robber killed in Chennai had cases in city

One of the five bank robbers, who had been killed in a controversial police encounter by the Chennai police last week, has been identified as a wanted accused in three bank robberies in Mumbai last year. Debasish Panigrahi reports.

One of the five bank robbers, who had been killed in a controversial police encounter by the Chennai police last week, has been identified as a wanted accused in three bank robberies in Mumbai last year.

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Deputy commissioner of police (DCP), zone 11, Mahesh Patil, told HT on Tuesday that Sujaya Kumar alias Sujaya Rai, has been identified as a wanted accused in three bank robberies in Borivli, Charkop and Malad between December 2010 and January 2011.

He said a special team from zone 11 had flown to Chennai on Tuesday with a photograph of Sujaya, who was identified with the help of the Chennai police. He said Sujaya was a resident of Bihar and that the police had his photograph because he was a wanted accused in three of four cases in the past.

He said in those cases five persons (dacoits) had been arrested while four others were wanted. He said the 11 persons were part of an inter-state gang which had been involved in a series of daring bank robberies across the city. As per the Chennai police, of the five slain dacoits, four were from Bihar while one of them hailed from West Bengal. The five dacoits were killed in a police encounter in Velachery area of Chennai in the wee hours of February 22. On February 20, Rs 14 lakh had been looted by 4 armed men from a branch of Indian Overseas Bank at Keelkattalai. This was followed by a daring Rs 19 lakh dacoity at the Bank of Baroda’s branch near Perungudi on January 19.

However, following the encounter, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had slapped a notice on the Chennai police and the government of Tamil Nadu, questioning the veracity of the police claims.