Surat: The crime branch shot of the the accused in the SBI bank loot case in the leg after he allegedly opened fire at the police team and attempted to escape during a weapon recovery operation on Thursday.After the weapon was recovered, the accused Shubham Thakur (24) allegedly opened fire, forcing assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Kiran Modi to retailiate. One bullet hit his both legs.Thakur was among the seven men accused of carrying out the armed robbery of Rs 50 lakh at the SBI branch in Varachha on April 27.During interrogation, Thakur confessed that he had hidden the bike, weapon and mobile phone used in the robbery in Kanyasi village of Olpad taluka. A team of Surat Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) and Varachha police took him to the location for recovery of the articles.Police said that after reaching the spot, Thakur retrieved the weapon from a deserted area. However, before handing it over, he allegedly opened fire at the police team and tried to flee. In retaliation, ACP Kiran Modi fired at him, with bullets hitting both his legs. Thakur was later shifted to the civil hospital for treatment.According to police, the weapon used by Thakur was a loaded country-made revolver. Thakur, a native of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested by the crime branch from Ayodhya.Police records show that Thakur is a history-sheeter and had earlier been booked in two separate cases in Bihar. In one case, he was charged under the Arms Act for illegal possession of weapons, while in another, he was booked for murder and robbery.Investigators said that after the April 27 robbery at the SBI branch in Surat, Thakur first travelled to Olpad and abandoned his bike there. From Olpad, he reportedly went to Himmatnagar bus station, as allegedly planned by all seven accused involved in the loot. During his stay in Gujarat, Thakur is also believed to have visited Bharuch and Somnath. Police suspect that he received assistance from local contacts during this period.Police further said that in Surat, a man identified as Chandan alias Jack alias Deepak had allegedly helped Thakur before the robbery.Thakur is a history sheeter and was earlier booked in two different cases by Bihar police. In first case, he was booked under Arms Act for illegal procession of weapon while in second case he was booked for murder and robbery.After the armed robbery, Thakur had first gone to Olpad and left his bike there. From there, he went to Himmatnagar bus station as decided by all 7 loot accused. During his stay in Gujarat, Thakur had also visited Bharuch and Somnath and police believe that local persons supported him.In Surat, a person named Chandan alias Jack alias Deepak had helped Thakur before the robbery.
