The Tribune, January 14, 2004

Hodal bank dacoity: Two missing with Rs 4 lakh
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, January 13
The police have been able to recover only Rs 42,800 out of the Rs 4.42 lakhs looted from the branch of the Punjab National Bank at Hodal, a sub-division town in the district, about 60 km from here, yesterday. Although the arrest of three robbers out of the total five, who committed the dacoity in broad daylight in Bollywood style, is no mean achievement, the credit for facilitating the arrests should go to Mathura district. Now, the challenge before the local police is to lay their hands on the remaining accused and to recover the huge amount. While the incident has come as a ‘shocker’ for the local residents and the law and order machinery, it has also exposed the chinks in the security network of the banks and other financial institutions. It is felt that given the poor security, any bank could be looted.

It is learnt that the phone at the Hodal police station had been out of order at the time of the dacoity and the residents had to personally visit Hodal to brief the cops. Although the district police have been claiming the arrest of the three accused as a major breakthrough, it is learnt that the U.P police, which had set up a naka at Paigaam road near Chhata village, had nabbed the culprits and later handed them over to the Haryana police. The three accused, arrested in connection with the dacoity, have been identified as Sukha, a resident of Ferozpur in Punjab, and Vicki and Bale of Faridabad district. The two others, who are absconding , have been identified as Madan Pehalwan and Vikram.

Two DSPs and two SHO’s of the district had raided some areas near Hodal last night to arrest the other accused and recover the looted cash. It is reported that the accused had got down from the getaway vehicle and disappeared in the jungles of the Hodal sub-division. According to the local police, they would be able to nab the remaining accused very soon as the accomplices were already in custody.