Surat: Six days after a daylight armed robbery of ₹52 lakh at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Varachha, Surat Police are yet to make a breakthrough in nabbing the looters, though three motorcycles used in the crime have been recovered from the Kim–Kosamba road.

According to police, five armed men stormed the Lambe Hanuman Road branch of SBI around 1 pm last Monday and held staff and customers at gunpoint before fleeing with cash. The robbers threatened service manager Kiran Prakash Bhoge, cashier Anil Rathod, junior associate Kartik Prajapati, credit card employee Ridviben, peon Gaurav Chaudhary, ATM guard Gajendra Patil, and several customers during the heist.

In a brazen act, the accused did not cover their faces and escaped on three motorcycles. Investigators said the gang discarded stolen mobile phones along the route to avoid tracking and continued to evade arrest.

Despite an extensive CCTV network and multiple search operations, police have not yet identified or apprehended the suspects. The accused were last traced on the Rander–Dandi road, prompting searches in the area.

Police have since recovered the three motorcycles used in the robbery in an abandoned condition from the Kim–Kosamba stretch. Preliminary investigation revealed that the number plates were fake. Officials are now attempting to trace the ownership of the vehicles through chassis numbers and other forensic leads. DeshGujarat