Greed for wealth drives painter-turned-mastermind to bank heist in Lko
A bank heist in Lucknow led to three arrests and three deaths in police encounters. Mastermind Vipin Kumar Verma, a former painter, is now in custody.
The heist, carried out on Sunday night, led to the arrest of three suspects on Monday, while three others were killed in police encounters. Another accused, Mithun Kumar, is still on the run.
Vipin Kumar Verma, a 22-year-old Sitapur resident who once earned his living as a painter, turned to crime to fulfil his greed for quick wealth. Arrested on Wednesday during an encounter in Ghazipur, Vipin is the alleged mastermind behind the daring heist at the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in Lucknow.
Raised by his uncle in Sitapur after his parents abandoned him, he initially worked as a painter.
A failed marriage, jail time in Jalandhar for a previous bank-related offence, and subsequent estrangement from his family appear to have driven him deeper into the criminal underworld.
“He moved to Lucknow and started living in a rented house in Chinhat after his release from jail. To become rich quickly, he planned this heist with a friend he met in prison,” said Vipin’s brother Pradeep.
Vipin’s second wife, Kajal, remained unaware of his activities, while his family in Sitapur claimed to have had minimal contact with him for over a year.
{{/usCountry}}Vipin’s second wife, Kajal, remained unaware of his activities, while his family in Sitapur claimed to have had minimal contact with him for over a year.
{{/usCountry}}“He faced hardships but chose the wrong path. He hasn’t returned home for a long time,” said his aunt Suman Devi.
{{/usCountry}}“He faced hardships but chose the wrong path. He hasn’t returned home for a long time,” said his aunt Suman Devi.
{{/usCountry}}The heist, carried out on Sunday night, led to the arrest of three suspects on Monday, while three others were killed in police encounters. Another accused, Mithun Kumar, is still on the run.
{{/usCountry}}The heist, carried out on Sunday night, led to the arrest of three suspects on Monday, while three others were killed in police encounters. Another accused, Mithun Kumar, is still on the run.
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