Karnataka: Debt-ridden techie arrested for bank heist
Bengaluru, Jan 22: Desperate to come out of a debt trap of around Rs 35 lakh due to online trading, a 28-year-old techie allegedly robbed a bank of Rs 85.38 lakh at knife-point but was eventually caught, police said on Saturday.
According to police, Dhiraj S, a mechanical engineer from Basaveshwar Nagar in the city, had allegedly stormed into the bank just when the staff were shuttering the SBI branch at BTM Layout under the jurisdiction of Madivala police station on January 14 evening.
With his face masked, Dhiraj held a bank staffer by brandishing a knife at him asking other employees to open the premises. The shaken officials followed his instructions, police added.
The accused then took them to the strong room of the bank where he got Rs 3.77 lakh cash and 1.8 kg gold jewels loaded in his bag, the police said, adding that he escaped with the booty.
Following a complaint, the police formed various teams and worked on various intelligence inputs. Police was finally able to crack the case and caught him on January 18 evening.
Upon interrogation, Dhiraj revealed that he worked in a software company with a monthly salary of Rs 30,000. He had lost a huge sum in an online trading platform called Olymp Trade. To overcome the loss, he had borrowed about Rs 35 lakh, police said.
As the money lenders started pestering him, he planned the bank heist. He learnt the basics of bank robbery using some YouTube channels.
Dhiraj allegedly surveyed many banks not only in Bengaluru but also in Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh and finally zeroed in on the SBI branch at BTM Layout.
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Mayawati criticises 'hasty' passage of Waqf Bill, says BSP does not support it
Lucknow (PTI): Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Friday criticised the central government for "rushing" the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying that the legislation should have been introduced only after addressing people's concerns and clarifying doubts.
Her remarks came after the Rajya Sabha passed the Bill late Thursday night, a day after its approval in the Lok Sabha, where the opposition strongly opposed it.
"After listening to both the ruling party and the opposition in Parliament on the Waqf Amendment Bill, the conclusion is that if the central government had given the public more time to understand the Bill and addressed all their concerns before bringing it forward, it would have been better," Mayawati posted on X in Hindi.
The BSP leader further expressed disappointment over what she termed as the government's "haste" in passing the Bill.
"It is unfortunate that the government hurriedly introduced and passed this Bill, which is not appropriate. Now that it has been passed, if governments misuse it, then the BSP will stand firmly with the Muslim community. In other words, the party does not support this Bill," she added.
