Virar bank robbery: Killer banker lost all in the markets

Anil Dubey stuffed the gold biscuits in a backpack (right) and cash in two metal boxes. Pics/Hanif Patel

Sacked Axis Bank manager Anil Dubey, who is in police custody for killing his former colleague and grievously injuring another before looting his former workplace on Thursday last week, has told investigators that he had been planning the robbery for a month. He had lost money on the stock market and in various business ventures.

An officer privy to the investigation said that Dubey was fond of gory crime web series on OTT platforms and crime serials on television. Dubey's mobile phone was lost when people were beating him up on the day of the looting as he was trying to flee the spot.

"We are searching for his mobile phone. Once it is recovered, we will be able to ascertain if he was watching any murder videos before killing the woman banker inside ICICI Bank," said the officer.

Anil Dubey

Dubey entered the bank on Thursday evening on the pretext of discussing a job switch with the manager, Yogita Chaudhary. "He knew that there were only two women employees and no security guard at the bank. He entered the bank with the clear intention of murdering both women," said the investigating officer and senior inspector of Virar police station, Suresh Varade.

"To avoid getting detected in the CCTV footage, he wore loose clothes, an unusually large mask that covered most of his face, a black turban to hide his half-bald head and a black t-shirt so that blood stains are not seen," Varade told mid-day.

Varade said Dubey had invested money in several businesses, the share market, etc and lost it all. "Jack of all trades, master of none. He kept losing his money in the hope of good returns," said Varade.

Also read: Virar bank robbery: Ex-manager booked for alleged misappropriation of funds

Had eye on current bank

Varade added, "Dubey had been thinking of looting a bank and was searching for a soft target. At one point, he had also thought of looting the bank he was working in but he knew he would be caught. So he planned to loot his former workplace," said another officer.

Yogita Chaudhary, the deceased; (right) Shraddha Devrukhkar, the survivor

"During interrogation, Dubey told us that he planned to disappear immediately in the lane adjacent to the bank," the officer added.

"Though we are checking his criminal antecedents, he seems to have committed this horrendous crime out of frustration of not getting money to repay his loans," he said. Dubey told the police he invested in an online trading application but lost his savings there. The zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Prashant Waghunde said, "He told us that he was using an application ‘Zerodha' to invest money but he lost all his money. We are checking his financial transactions."

"Before joining ICICI Bank, Dubey worked in an Indian private sector bank in Virar," Varade said. Dubey studied Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) and came to Mumbai to look for work around a decade ago. He is a native of Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh and lives with his wife, two children and mother in Nalasopara West.

A crowd outside the bank on the day of the incident on Thursday last week

Neighbours in shock

mid-day visited Dubey's home but no one answered the door. The chairman of the society said that he came to reside in the society two years ago. "We heard about the bank looting in Virar on Thursday night. On Friday morning, the police entered our society and we were speechless as we did not know why they had come. We learnt later on that the robber lives in our society," said the chairman, who did not wish to be named.

Dubey's colleagues told mid-day that he would always talk about investments and returns. "Though he was a little disturbed because of the losses, we never thought he would commit a crime. He is professionally sound," said a colleague of Dubey's, requesting anonymity.

Dubey worked in Manvelpada branch of ICICI Bank in Virar until August 2020.

Dubey's getaway car

A spokesperson from Axis bank said that Dubey had taken leave for personal reasons on the day of the looting.

After the looting

After the 13 minutes of terror during which the murder and looting lasted, Dubey stepped out of the bank carrying gold biscuits in his backpack and two metal boxes filled with cash collectively worth Rs 3.38 crore.

An eyewitness told mid-day that he saw a woman in blood-stained clothes shouting for help after opening the glass door of the bank. "When I turned right, I saw a man carrying two metal boxes in his hands and one black backpack rushing into a lane next to the bank. I ran after him and gestured to the men in the lane to catch him," said the eyewitness.

Dubey was heading towards his getaway car that he had parked at the end of the lane.

"After we caught him in the lane, he told us that ‘mai bank ka bada saahab hu, mujhe jaane do'. Then we dragged him to the bank and saw a woman [Shraddha Devrukhkar, the survivor] in blood-soaked clothes. She was having spasms and the blood had spilt all over the floor," said one of the men who caught Dubey with the loot.

Dubey was beaten up by the public after the looting

By that time, hundreds of people gathered at the spot as the bank is located right opposite the Virar railway station.

The shopkeepers, who caught Dubey red-handed, snatched the loot from him and kept the backpack and two metal boxes inside the ATM booth next to the bank.

The enraged mob thrashed Dubey before the police could arrive at the spot and in the chaos, his mobile phone was misplaced.

Rs 3.38 cr
Amount Dubey collected in the metal boxes