13 minutes of horror: Braveheart who put her life on line during bank robbery

A day after the manager of ICICI Bank’s Manvelpada branch in Virar was murdered and a cashier severely injured during a robbery by their former colleague, the police describe the 13 minutes of horror that was caught on CCTV cameras. Despite the wounds on her neck, Shraddha Devrukhkar mustered the courage to first sound the hooter in the manager’s cabin and then follow Anil Dubey out of the bank to alert people, as there was no security guard employed at the branch. Locals and passers-by caught Dubey and handed him over to the police.

Dubey was previously the branch manager of the ICICI Bank at Manvelpada. In August last year, he had joined Axis Bank in Naigaon as the manager, said a source from the bank.

The 13 minutes
On Thursday evening, he went to the ICICI Bank’s Manvelpada branch to meet its then manager, now deceased Yogita Chaudhary. He entered the bank
at 8.01 pm, shows the footage of CCTV cameras.

At 8.03 pm, he and Yogita went into a small mess room to talk about a job switch.

Around 8.07 pm, Yogita stood up and turned her back when Dubey whipped out a knife from his bag and stabbed her on the neck repeatedly. She screamed for help, but he continued to inflict injuries on her. He stabbed her seven to eight times, police said.

At 8.08 pm, bank cashier Shraddha rushed to the mess room and found her lying on the ground, covered in blood. Dubey turned around and stabbed Shraddha on her neck with another knife. She fell on the floor.

At 8.09 pm, Dubey grabbed his bag and rushed to the bank’s strongroom to collect valuables and cash.

At 8.12 pm, as Dubey was about to flee, Shraddha, with one hand pressing against her neck wounds, rushed to the branch manager’s cabin to sound the hooter.

At 8.13 pm, Dubey, taken by surprise, tried to rush out of the bank with the valuables but Shraddha mustered courage and blocked his way. Dubey took out his knife and stabbed her again.

At 8.14 pm, As Dubey exited the main door, Shraddha did not give up and followed him out and shouted for help.

What transpired next?
A police officer told mid-day that a passer-by, Adil Pathan, and his friend Jessica heard Shraddha’s calls for help and noticed she was bleeding. They then saw Dubey running into a lane beside the bank. Pathan ran behind him and caught him. By that time, others had gathered. Police had also reached within 5 minutes of receiving the alert, said zonal DCP Prashant Waghunde.

Police said there was no security guard at the bank, and when they entered, the floor was covered in blood. Both Yogita and Shraddha were rushed to a nearby hospital, the former was declared brought dead.

“Shraddha is recuperating at Sanjeevani Hospital in Virar, and she is out of danger,” said Waghunde.

Dubey had three knives
Sources in Virar police told mid-day that Dubey was carrying three knives with him. “He told us that he had purchased the knives from a roadside vendor to execute his nefarious plan.”

‘Where was security?’

The grieving family of Yogita has questioned the absence of security guards at the bank. “She was a very hard working employee, and would often work till late. There was no security guard at the gate after 6 pm and Dubey knew that he could easily enter, loot the bank and flee,” said Dinkar Vartak, her uncle.

“How can ICICI Bank be so irresponsible as to leave women employees unguarded? There was no male employee inside. The peon, too, had left for home,” Vartak said.
Yogita is survived by her husband, who works in a pharmaceutical company in Virar, and three-year-old son who has been crying for his mother.

‘Shraddha is a hero’

While Shraddha couldn’t speak due to her grievous injuries, his father Yashwant Kelkar spoke to mid-day at the hospital and said, “My daughter is a hero. She fought back even when she was grievously wounded. She risked her life for the bank which cannot even afford to keep their branch guarded by security personnel.”

Shraddha is married to Pradeep Devrukhkar, and has been taking care of her parents and a mentally ill brother at home. “She also has a five-year-old son,” said Yashwant.

Her uncle Pradeep Kelkar said, “She was injured yet she fought back so bravely. She dared to confront a man who was armed with a knife. She deserves to be awarded.”

A woman activist from Virar, Maya Chaudhary, said, “The bank wants to do business at the cost of its employees’ life. Can’t they afford to keep a security guard at the entrance? It is a serious security lapse and senior ICICI Bank officials must hang their heads in shame.” mid-day’s calls, messages and emails sent to ICICI Bank’s corporate communication went unanswered.

Meanwhile, an official spokesperson of Axis Bank told mid-day, “As a responsible institution, Axis Bank has zero tolerance towards unscrupulous elements and is committed to fully cooperate with the relevant authorities in resolving this issue. We have taken strict disciplinary action immediately.”

Dubey was buried in loans
A police source told mid-day that Dubey had taken out loans from three banks and was unable to repay them. “He had also opened a mobile shop during the lockdown but it did not yield any profit. He had also got into auction trading where he incurred heavy losses.”

Another officer privy to the investigation told mid-day, “He had gone to the ICICI Bank branch with the intention of killing both the women employees and stealing the valuables and cash. He had taken away jewellery and cash worth Rs 1.38 crore, but he was caught only because of the daredevil efforts of Shraddha. And, also thanks to Pathan and his friend who did not think twice before nabbing him as he ran.”

Police said that Dubey is now regretting his actions and told the interrogators that he committed the crime because he did not have money to pay back the loans. A court has sent him to police custody till August 6.

Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar police chief Sadanand Date also visited the spot on Friday.

News Credit: Mid-Day