Asif Iqbal Naik
Doda, Dec 09, 2025: In a major boost to the ongoing investigations of West Bengal Police, Doda Police today apprehended a prime suspect wanted in multiple ATM theft cases across West Bengal—marking a significant achievement in the interstate crackdown on organised theft syndicates.
The arrested accused has been identified as Sapat (32), S/O Idris, R/O Near Masjid, Gudhala (174) Mewat, PS Punhana, District Nuh (Mewat), Haryana, PIN–122508. He is a key operative linked to several ATM break-in incidents in West Bengal, including two major thefts involving a combined loss of ₹34 lakh. These cases are being probed under FIR No. 131/2025 U/S 321, 305, 326 BNS, registered at Police Station Howrah Sankrail, West Bengal.
A special police team from West Bengal had travelled to Doda as part of an intensified effort to trace the accused. On receiving their request, SSP Doda, Sh. Sandeep Mehta (JKPS) directed the formation of a dedicated team to assist them.
Acting swiftly on precise intelligence inputs, Doda Police tracked and arrested the accused from the Khellani area, paving the way for a crucial breakthrough in the West Bengal cases.
The accused has been taken to Police Station Doda for necessary legal formalities. He will soon be handed over to the visiting West Bengal Police team in accordance with established procedures.
This arrest not only strengthens the West Bengal Police investigation but also showcases the effective coordination between J&K Police and West Bengal Police in tackling interstate crime networks. The successful collaboration has effectively neutralised a potential theft threat and brought a significant accused closer to justice.
Meanwhile West Bengal Police, particularly from the Howrah–Sankrail Sub-Division, confirmed to local media outlets that the arrest marks a major breakthrough in their ongoing probe into a series of ATM burglaries that had triggered heightened security measures across the industrial belt of Howrah. The district police in Bengal had been under intense pressure to track down the accused after repeated incidents, prompting special teams from the Crime Investigation Wing, Howrah Rural, to fan out across multiple states. The successful tracing of the accused to Doda is being viewed in West Bengal as a significant victory in dismantling a wider network believed to be operating across eastern India.
