The Karimnagar district police have identified the culprits involved in the daylight bank robbery at State Bank of India (SBI), Choppadandi in Karimnagar district as the fugitives, who escaped from the Khandwa jailbreak in Madhya Pradesh in 2013.
Superintendent of Police V. Shiva Kumar told The Hindu on Thursday that four persons were involved in the bank robbery of SBI Choppadandi branch on February 1, 2014 and took away Rs. 46 lakh in cash. The four pistol-wielding men robbed the money and later fled in motorbikes after entering the bank at about 9.30 a.m. and confining the branch manager in a room.
The police initially suspected that the gang might belong to Maharashtra, but after investigations, it was found that the gang members were fugitives of Khandwa jail break and notorious criminals suspected to be associated with a terrorist group.
Meanwhile, the sources said that a National Investigation Agency team from Hyderabad had also visited the bank and collected information as the suspected culprits allegedly belonged to a terror group.