Surat: Surat crime branch arrested two men from UP in connection with the Rs 50 lakh armed robbery at the State Bank of India branch in Varachha on April 27, while the manhunt for five others continues.On the morning of April 27, six armed men entered the bank and made off with Rs 50 lakh in cash. Police said the accused carried out the crime without masks or using overt force and left the premises calmly. Those arrested are Shubham Kumar Ajit Thakur and Vikas Singh, son of Arun Kumar Singh. They were traced to the Ayodhya and Gonda area of Uttar Pradesh after sustained technical and human intelligence inputs. More than 100 Surat police personnel were deployed across several north Indian states as part of the operation, with assistance from local police. The two accused were produced before a local court in Uttar Pradesh, which granted four days of transit remand, citing the seriousness of the offence. Sources said Thakur is believed to have a criminal history, though police have not disclosed the specific roles of the arrested men in the robbery. Investigators have found that the accused had been hiding in Surat for over a month and were staying in a rented house in Ugat village. One of the motorcycles used in the crime was purchased from Telangana, while the other was stolen. Police said the robbers appeared to challenge law enforcement by not concealing their identities. According to police source, cash or weapons used in the robbery are yet to be recovered.
