Around five months before he was killed by the UP STF on Monday for his alleged involvement in a robbery case, Anuj Pratap Singh Thakur (22) was in Surat Central Jail in connection with a bank robbery case from last year. He was released on bail on May 11. On Monday, UP Special Task Force (STF) killed him in an encounter at Achalganj area in Unnao. An accused in the Sultanpur robbery case, in which a jewellery shop was targeted and Rs 1.5 crore looted on August 28, Thakur was carrying a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head, said sources. Sources said Thakur worked under one Vipin Singh who had surrendered before a UP court. Another accused, Mangesh Yadav, was killed in an encounter by UP police on September 5 while Thakur was absconding. Both Thakur and Singh were arrested by Surat police crime branch for allegedly carrying out a robbery worth Rs 13.26 lakh from a Bank of Maharashtra branch at Vanj Village near Sachin in Surat on August 11, 2023. Thakur, Singh and three others, armed with pistols, entered the bank premises, held five employees and six customers at gunpoint, and carried out the robbery, Surat police said in a press conference last year. All the accused escaped on bikes, which were later found in Pandesara area, near Sachin, said police. Following the episode, the bank manager lodged a complaint with Sachin police. A week later, Surat police, on August 18, arrested the five accused – gang leader Singh (38), Arbaz Khan (21), Thakur, Furkan Ahmed Mohammed Saif (22), and Raj Bahadur Lodhi (25). All of them are residents of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. After their police remand period, they were sent to judicial custody at Surat central jail. The accused filed a bail application with Surat district court following which they were granted bail. Sachin police sources said Thakur was released on May 11 while Singh got out a few days later. The other accused were also released on bail with Lodhi getting out only 10 days ago.
