Posing as tea seller, Odisha man robs 6 banks; held

Meticulous planning and hard work are key for achieving success. And that's exactly what Rishikesh Maninath Barikh from Odisha did, but to rob banks. The 33-year-old carried out six bank robberies across Mumbai till his luck gave out a few days back.

How did the accused manage to do this?
Barikh would sell tea in the bank he would be targeting to collect information before putting his plan into action.

When and from where was he arrested?
The police arrested him on Tuesday from Odisha in connection with the robbery of Rs40.34 lakh from Ghatkopar's Canara Bank, which brought the other robberies to light.

What was his modus operandi?
The Ghatkopar police said Barikh would dress as a tea vendor, wearing full pants folded till knees, and carry a kettle as well as a cloth to clean tables. "He would sell tea at the bank for at least three weeks, and also clean employees' tables before cleaning the bank's safe," said Rajaram Vhanmane, senior inspector.

But how would he get the bank's keys?
Barikh, while doing a recce of the bank, would also chat up with the employees, trying to gauge who could be included in the plan and coaxed into getting him the keys. He would then lure that employee by promising a share from the stolen money, and that employee would procure keys of the bank's main door and safe.

Didn't keys going missing raise suspicion?
"Once Barikh would get the original keys, he would get duplicates made, and return the originals. Then, at night or on holidays, he would test the keys," said Vhanmane, adding, "He would even take a room on rent in various places to hide the stolen money."

How did the accused manage to hide his identity?
When Barikh would enter the bank to carry out the robbery, he would wear a raincoat, helmet, as well as hold an umbrella over his head so that the CCTVs installed in the bank would not be able to show who it was.

Who else has been arrested?
The police have arrested two key makers — Yusuf Mehboob Khan, 36, and Irfan Naseem Khan, 32 — for allegedly making duplicate keys of Canara Bank's Ghatkopar branch.

What's the stolen amount?
Besides the Rs40.34 lakh stolen from Canara Bank, the police have recovered another Rs8.50 lakh that was kept in an Axis Bank branch in Odisha. There was also a total of Rs33 lakh deposited in Barikh's family members' names; this, the police believe, was the money stolen from other banks. Barikh is said to have confessed to having deposited a total of Rs84 lakh in various banks in his family members' names.

The robberies
Rs20.4 lakh from Dena Bank's Shivaji Park branch in 2006
Rs15.22 lakh from Union Bank's Shivaji Park branch in 2011
Rs29,01,881 from Dena Bank's Shivaji Park branch in 2012
Rs13 lakh from Dena Bank's Govandi branch in 2013
Rs42,33,780 from Excellent co-operative bank in Marol in 2013