Patna Nia Court Kundan Bhagat Custody Gujarat Police Surat Sbi Bank Robbery Mastermind

The Patna NIA court on Tuesday directed the jail authorities in Bihar to hand over the custody of gangster Kundan Kumar alias Kundan Bhagat to Gujarat police for interrogation in connection with the April 26 heist of Rs 50 lakh from a State Bank of India branch in Surat city, a top officer said on Thursday.

The Gujarat police will get custody of Kundan Bhagat, 29, who has been lodged in Patna central jail, in a day or two, Surat Deputy Superintendent of Police (Zone 1) Alok Kumar said, adding that all security arrangements are being taken to bring Kundan Bhagat to Gujarat.

“Out of Rs 50 lakh looted from the bank, we have recovered Rs 19,000 from the arrested accused. Once we take custody of Bhagat, we expect to get details of the others involved in the robbery. Bhagat’s custody is very important to us. We are thankful to the Surat and Patna courts on the issue,” Alok Kumar said.

“Our police team, with high-ranking officials, has been in Patna for the last two months. We had spoken with the Patna Superintendent of Police and discussed the security measures to be followed while bringing the dreaded criminal to Surat. We have also sent more personnel to Bihar as we don’t want to take any chances,” the SP added.

A Bihar resident, Kundan Kumar, 29, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in November 2025 in an illegal weapons and smuggling case, has been lodged in Beur Jail in Patna since November 18 last year. According to the NIA, he was indulged in illegal procurement and smuggling of prohibited bore weapons from Nagaland which were being supplied to Naxalites and criminals in Bihar. The case originated with the seizure of an AK-47 rifle along with a lens by Bihar Police. Kundan was the sixth accused to be chargesheeted in the case.

On April 15, the NIA submitted a supplementary chargesheet against Kundan Bhagat, a resident of Muzaffarpur, in the case with the Patna NIA court under various sections of the IPC, Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

A gang of armed robbers looted Rs 52 lakh in cash from the SBI branch in Surat’s Varachha after threatening the staff and customers at gunpoint in the afternoon of April 27. The Surat police arrested two alleged accused — Shubham Thakur (24) and Vikramjit Singh Rajput (30) – on May 7 from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh for their alleged role in the heist. The probe quickly zeroed in on the alleged mastermind: Kundan Bhagat.

A mastermind of high value robberies, Bhagat reportedly chose the Varachha branch because of its record of clearing a large number of gold loans, police said. According to police, Bhagat had hired criminals from different states to carry out the robbery. Their original plan was to steal gold and diamonds from the bank vault, but that didn’t work and the gang ended up looting Rs 52 lakh from the bank, police said.

Surat police arrested another accused, Miteshkumar alias Maheshkumar Lakhendra Rai, from Bihar’s Motihari district on May 30. He was remanded to Surat police custody for seven days.

After the name of Kundan Kumar cropped up during the interrogation of the two accused arrested in the case, Surat police had begun work to get his custody from Bihar jail.

Surat DySP Alok Kumar said, “We first filed an application with the Surat First Class Judicial Magistrate Court to get custody of Kundan Bhagat. We explained the importance of getting custody of Bhagat. Later, Surat judge coordinated with the Patna NIA court judge. The Bihar NIA court had suggested questioning Bhagat through video conferencing. We replied that Bhagat is the main conspirator in the Surat bank heist and he had hired criminals from different parts of India, giving them code names. These gang members were also given intense weapon-firing training, and they were also told not to disclose code names or original names to the police. Three accused had been arrested so far and the remaining five or more others involved in the robbery are still absconding.”

“We requested the NIA court judge, through the Surat judge, that personal custody of Bhagat is necessary to identify and arrest the other accused in the Surat bank robbery. The personal custody of Bhagat is necessary as we can interrogate them along with the other three arrested accused,” the officer said.

Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs. Expertise Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs. Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including: Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives. Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress. Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli). Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More