Nepale, who lived in Nagpur and was known for preparing for UPSC exams, allegedly carried out a solo heist using insider access. Police say he tried to disguise the theft as a break-in using tricks inspired by past crimes and online tutorials. A single CCTV camera outside the bank gave him away.
How the plan unfolded
Investigators found that Nepale had snapped power lines, disabled cameras, used duplicate keys, covered his face with a monkey cap, wiped fingerprints, and even tried masking his body odour. He attempted to make it look like a burglary by breaking the channel gate and shutter lock.
But an external CCTV camera recorded him arriving on a scooter with empty bags and leaving with them filled. Police said his physical features and the vehicle were clearly visible.
A heist inspired by another heist
Officers suspect Nepale drew ideas from a Rs 58 crore gold theft by a senior official in Karnataka earlier this year. He also watched online tutorials to plan his move.
Also Read: Sweet life? Leopards in UP’s sugarcane fields are turning ‘soft’ and ‘fatter’, refusing to return to the wild, say forest officersThe assistant manager had recently raised the branch’s cash levels by requisitioning Rs 85 lakh from RBI on November 13, saying it was for “emergency requirements.” This pushed the cash stock to nearly five times the usual.
The night before the theft
On November 17, Nepale bought four bags in Nagpur. In the early hours of November 18, he drove to the branch, broke the locks, entered the strongroom with his keys, removed the DVR and cameras, and emptied the cash chests.
The theft came to light when staff opened the bank on November 18 morning and alerted Gobarwahi police. SP Noorul Hasan reached the spot and formed 10 teams from cyber and crime branch units.
Why police suspected an insider
Nepale had taken sudden leave for “training” in Nagpur on November 17. He then returned to Bhandara on the same scooter seen in the CCTV footage, pretending to help the investigation. Police say he used the scooter again because he had hidden most of the stolen cash in his car.
His behaviour raised red flags. “No outsider could know the exact camera positions and key locations,” SP Hasan said.
A team from Bhandara LCB led by senior inspector Vivek Sonavane searched Nepale’s wife’s residence in Nagpur. After first denying involvement, he confessed. Police recovered Rs 96.12 lakh in cash, a Tata Nexon car, the scooter used in the crime, a Redmi phone, and the stolen DVR — assets worth Rs 1.07 crore.
Police say Nepale was under more than Rs 80 lakh debt:
- Rs 30 lakh lost to online gambling
- Rs 12 lakh personal loan
- Rs 8.5 lakh car loan
- Rs 3.5 lakh education loan
- Rs 3 lakh Paytm loan
- Rs 20 lakh from private lenders
Desperate to pay his dues and continue betting, he allegedly robbed the bank he worked for.
Nepale has been charged with theft, criminal breach of trust, and destroying evidence. Police plan to flag serious procedural lapses to RBI and recommend cloud-based CCTV backups for banks to avoid similar incidents.
(Source: TOI)
