They robbed a Bidar bank and vanished. 19 months later, Karnataka cops caught them

For nearly 19 months following a Rs 93-lakh bank robbery in Bidar, Karnataka police relentlessly pursued two suspects across Bihar. Authorities employed various tactics, including posing as religious pilgrims and monitoring the suspects' relatives and likely movements. On Wednesday, after 20 days of tracking, the team finally apprehended Aman Kumar and Alok Kumar from Damodarpur village in Vaishali.

The duo is accused of killing a cash-van security guard during the 2025 robbery and is also sought for a shooting in Hyderabad the same day. The primary challenge now lies in locating and recovering the stolen money. Superintendent of Police Pradeep Gunti, who led the operation, emphasized the need to uncover the hiding place of the funds and their subsequent use.

The robbery occurred around 11:30 am on January 16, 2025, at Bidar's Shivaji Chowk, where two helmeted men on a motorcycle opened fire on security personnel as a cash-delivery van arrived. Six rounds were fired, killing cash security guard Giri Venkatesh, 40, and injuring another guard, Shivakumar. The attackers ultimately fled with Rs 93 lakh, initially traced to Hyderabad.

There, one of the men allegedly shot a travel agency manager while attempting to board a bus to Raipur. Karnataka Police offered a Rs 5-lakh reward for information leading to the suspects' arrest. Following the arrests, investigators are now focused on tracing the missing Rs 93 lakh and exploring the men's alleged connections to armed robbery cases in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana.