Main accused Pankaj Kumar built house on one-acre land in Bihar, say Police
Mysore/Mysuru: In a joint operation, the Bank and Jewellery Cell of the Bihar Special Task Force (STF) and Mysuru Police arrested two members of a Darbhanga-based gang involved in the robbery of 8.32 kg of gold jewellery, valued at over Rs. 10 crore, from Sky Gold and Diamond Store in Hunsur on Dec. 28, 2025.
According to Police, at around 2.04 pm on Dec. 28, five masked men wearing full-face helmets entered the store armed with pistols and looted gold after threatening and cornering the staff. They later fled on bikes, brandishing guns at passers-by.
The arrests were carried out through coordinated raids in Darbhanga, Naugachhia and Bhagalpur in Bihar. The accused have been identified as Rishikesh Singh alias Patthal Singh alias Chhotu Singh of Kharari under Hayaghat Police Station and Pankaj Kumar alias Sattuwa of Pakra under Naugachhia Police limits in Bhagalpur district.
Addressing a press conference at his office this afternoon, Mysuru Superintendent of Police (SP) Mallikarjun Baladandi said, a special team led by Hunsur Inspectors R. Santhosh Kashyap and T.M. Puneeth, along with Sub-Inspector Ajay Kumar, was deputed to Bihar after investigators obtained definite leads about the accused hiding there.
Police said, the main accused Pankaj Kumar had built a house in one-acre land in Bihar.
A case was registered under Sections 310(2) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, relating to dacoity and criminal intimidation, along with Sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act for illegal possession of firearms.
The case was registered based on a complaint lodged by Sainuddin, one of the owners of the jewellery shop and a resident of Payyannur in Kerala’s Kannur district.
Acting on the directions of senior officers, a special team led by Bihar STF Dy.SP Anand Kumar was formed to crack the case through interState coordination.
From the accused, the Police recovered a two-wheeler, Rs. 92,000 in cash, a stolen gold chain weighing 12.5 grams, a gold ring and a jewellery storage box bearing Sky Jewellery and Diamonds logo. A bullet bike used in the crime was also seized.
Recce in multiple cities
During interrogation, the accused revealed that their gang had conducted reconnaissance in Jaipur, Visakhapatnam and Mysuru before committing the Hunsur robbery. Police said Pankaj Kumar had received assistance in executing the crime and further investigation is underway to trace other gang members and recover the remaining stolen gold.
Police records show that at least 16 cases have been registered against Pankaj Kumar in Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Rajasthan, involving offences such as attempted murder, robbery, dacoity and violations of the Arms Act.
Similarly, four cases are pending against Rishikesh Singh in Purnia and Naugachhia districts in Bihar, as well as at Hunsur Police Station, on charges including murder, robbery, dacoity and Arms Act violations.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Southern Range IGP Dr. M.B. Boralingaiah, Mysuru SP Mallikarjun Baladandi and Additional SP (Crime) L. Nagesh. Five special teams were formed and dispatched to different States including Kerala, to trace the accused and recover the stolen property.
Hunsur Sub-Division Dy.SP Ravi, Cyber Crime Division Dy.SP Srikanth, Inspectors Santhosh Kashyap, Deepak, Puneeth, Prasanna Kumar, Gangadhar, PSIs Ajay Kumar, Jagadish, Ravi Kumar, Chandrahas Nayak, H.N. Arun, R. Prabhakar, Srinivas Prasad, D.A. Irfan, Vijay Pawar, Sathish, Puneeth, Chandu, Mahendra, Sanjay and ASIs Vasanth Kumar, Lokesh, Peer Khan and Sunitha from the technical wing were involved in the operation.
This post was published on January 19, 2026 6:45 pm