Rs 36.4 crore gold stolen, lakhs in cash looted by 4 men including ex-cop in Maharashtra; villagers chase them 17 km, recover loot

Four men who allegedly robbed a nationalised bank in Bhokar village of Maharashtra's Jalgaon district were arrested within hours on Saturday after bank employees, villagers, police patils and local police joined forces to pursue them, according to a report by TOI. The gang escaped with Rs 12.3 lakh in cash and 27 kg of pledged gold valued at Rs 36.4 crore after assaulting bank staff and firing a shot inside the branch. Police recovered the entire stolen haul, while one of the arrested accused was a dismissed police sub-inspector who had recently secured bail in another bank robbery case.

How the Jalgaon bank robbery unfolded

The robbery took place between 2.45 pm and 3.15 pm at the bank in Bhokar, a village with a population of around 5,000. According to the bank manager's complaint, four men wearing helmets and covering their faces with handkerchiefs entered the branch while regular banking operations were underway. No customers were present at the time.

One of the intruders pulled out a firearm and threatened the security guard and a clerk. While the armed robber held them at gunpoint, the cashier discreetly activated the alarm. The move prompted the gang to attack him with a wooden stick and demand that he switch it off.


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The robbers then sought the keys to the strong room. They tied up four employees with adhesive tape and made them sit on the floor. When the staff resisted, the gang stepped up the assault and fired a shot at the security guard. The bullet missed him, and he escaped without injury.

The manager and cashier were forced towards the strong room, but the cashier refused to cooperate. The robbers then untied another employee and made him open the room. They collected cash from the vault and counters before moving to the gold safe and filling several bags with pledged jewellery.

Before leaving, the gang gathered the employees near a washroom, tied their hands, taped their mouths and locked them inside the room.

Employees, villagers join forces in dramatic 17-km chase

The robbers' escape did not go unnoticed for long. Two bank employees managed to free themselves and get outside, where they spotted the suspects fleeing on separate motorcycles. They immediately alerted villagers and joined the pursuit.

News of the robbery spread rapidly through Bhokar, prompting residents to take to their motorcycles and track the suspects along rural roads. People in neighbouring villages were also alerted, while police patils helped relay information and identify routes that could be blocked.

Sambhaji Pawar, the father-in-law of the local village police patil, said his nephew, who runs a service centre in the area, had alerted him after noticing something unusual at the bank. Pawar said he immediately contacted Jalgaon Taluka police, whose station is around 30 km away. By then, villagers had already begun chasing the robbers, while residents of nearby villages were asked to watch for suspicious vehicles and block possible escape routes.

Inspector Shashikant Patil of Jalgaon Taluka police said Bhokar was connected to four major roads. Police tightened surveillance and alerted police patils across the area, who mobilised residents to help prevent the suspects from escaping.

The pursuit continued for nearly 17 km across a network of village roads before the first breakthrough came at Diksai village.

Road blockade leads to arrest of all four accused, stolen gold recovered

Villagers intercepted two suspects at Diksai just as a police team arrived. They were identified as Ankush Tulshiram Pawar, alias Chavan (25), from Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, and Ankush Shravan Chavan (30), from Jalgaon district.

Information obtained from the two men helped police establish the direction in which the other suspects had fled. Dharangaon inspector Ramakant Gaikwad then arranged a road blockade, leading to the arrest of the remaining two accused, Gajanan Pawar (32), from Nashik district, and Shankar Jasak.

Police recovered the complete stolen haul, comprising Rs 12.3 lakh in cash and all 27 kg of pledged gold worth Rs 36.4 crore. The arrests and recovery were completed within hours of the robbery.

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Dismissed police sub-inspector among accused

Inspector Shashikant Patil said Jasak was a former police sub-inspector who had served in Raigad district police. He had previously been arrested in a bank robbery involving cash and gold in Jalgaon district and had secured bail only a few months ago. Patil said all four accused were habitual offenders with criminal records.

Police said Gajanan Pawar is facing a murder case, while Ankush Tulshiram Pawar has robbery cases registered against him at Muktainagar and Jamner police stations.

Superintendent of Police Shrikant Dhivre, who supervised the operation, later felicitated the villagers whose prompt response and pursuit helped police arrest all four suspects and recover the stolen property within hours.