Nagpur: Man throws chilli powder at SBI staff, flees with Rs 4.53 lakh, caught after 1km chase

A shocking incident has come to light in Nagpur, where a 28-year-old man threw chilli powder in the eyes of State Bank of India employees and snatched Rs 4.53 lakh. The incident took place around 5:30 pm on Thursday in the Bhande Plot area of Nagpur, when bank employees were returning to the SBI branch after withdrawing cash from an ATM.

The accused tried hard to flee the scene, but the bank staff did not stay quiet. Seeing him running away with the cash, the employees raised an alarm and began chasing him. Beat marshals and police officers patrolling the area also spotted him running and joined the chase. As a result of this joint effort by the bank staff and police, the accused was caught about one kilometre away within just 30 minutes. Police also recovered the entire Rs 4.53 lakh that had been snatched.

The entire incident was captured on the bank's CCTV camera, and the video surfaced on Friday. The video also went viral on social media, showing the accused, dressed in a saffron kurta, throwing chilli powder at bank employees before fleeing.

The accused, arrested by police, has been identified as 28-year-old Suraj Bhojraj Borkar, a resident of Tatoli village in Bhiwapur taluka of Nagpur Rural district. According to police, Suraj has a B.Sc degree but is currently unemployed. Initial investigation has revealed that he carried out the robbery due to lack of employment and financial distress.

Police have registered a case against the accused and begun further investigation. They are now trying to establish whether Suraj carried out the robbery alone or had accomplices, and also how he came to know that the bank held such a large amount of cash.