Bank robbery foiled, nine held in Thane district

Police Monday night foiled a bank robbery bid and arrested nine persons before they could execute their plan in Thane district of Maharashtra. Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek Pansare Tuesday said a patrolling team stopped a man moving suspiciously on a motorcycle in Kalyan Monday night, who disclosed that other members of the gang were going to rob a nationalised bank on the Kalyan-Murbad road in the wee hours of Tuesday.

When the gang members arrived at the spot, police personnel who were lying in wait arrested them. The accused hailed from Chennai and various places in Andhra Pradesh, the DCP said.

A police official said the gang members have at least 23 cases pending against them in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Police seized three motorcycles, knives, sickles, glass cutters, screwdrivers and 25 mobile phone handsets from the accused and booked them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Arms Act.

Further investigation is underway.