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

A day after the manager of ICICI Bankrsquos 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 managerrsquos 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 passersby caught Dubey and handed him over to the policeDubey 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 bankAnil DubeyThe 13 minutesOn Thursday evening he went to the ICICI Bankrsquos Manvelpada branch to meet its then manager now deceased Yogita Chaudhary He entered the bankat 801 pm shows the footage of CCTV camerasAt 803 pm he and Yogita went into a small mess room to talk about a job switchAround 807 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 saidYogita Chaudhary 34 the deceasedAt 808 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 floorAt 809 pm Dubey grabbed his bag and rushed to the bankrsquos strongroom to collect valuables and cashAt 812 pm as Dubey was about to flee Shraddha with one hand pressing against her neck wounds rushed to the branch managerrsquos cabin to sound the hooterShraddha Devrukhkar at the hospitalAt 813 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 againAt 814 pm As Dubey exited the main door Shraddha did not give up and followed him out and shouted for helpWhat transpired nextA police officer told midday that a passerby Adil Pathan and his friend Jessica heard Shraddharsquos 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 WaghundeFather left and uncle of Shraddha Devrukhkar the injured bank employee PicsHanif PatelPolice 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 deadldquoShraddha is recuperating at Sanjeevani Hospital in Virar and she is out of dangerrdquo said WaghundeDubey had three knivesSources in Virar police told midday that Dubey was carrying three knives with him ldquoHe told us that he had purchased the knives from a roadside vendor to execute his nefarious planrdquoMira BhayandarVasai Virar police chief Sadanand Date visited the spotlsquoWhere was securityrsquoThe grieving family of Yogita has questioned the absence of security guards at the bank ldquoShe 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 fleerdquo said Dinkar Vartak her uncleldquoHow can ICICI Bank be so irresponsible as to leave women employees unguarded There was no male employee inside The peon too had left for homerdquo Vartak saidYogita is survived by her husband who works in a pharmaceutical company in Virar and threeyearold son who has been crying for his motherlsquoShraddha is a herorsquoWhile Shraddha couldnrsquot speak due to her grievous injuries his father Yashwant Kelkar spoke to midday at the hospital and said ldquoMy 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 personnelrdquoShraddha is married to Pradeep Devrukhkar and has been taking care of her parents and a mentally ill brother at home ldquoShe also has a fiveyearold sonrdquo said YashwantHer uncle Pradeep Kelkar said ldquoShe was injured yet she fought back so bravely She dared to confront a man who was armed with a knife She deserves to be awardedrdquoA woman activist from Virar Maya Chaudhary said ldquoThe bank wants to do business at the cost of its employeesrsquo life Canrsquot 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 shamerdquo middayrsquos calls messages and emails sent to ICICI Bankrsquos corporate communication went unansweredMeanwhile an official spokesperson of Axis Bank told midday ldquoAs 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 immediatelyrdquoDubey was buried in loansA police source told midday that Dubey had taken out loans from three banks and was unable to repay them ldquoHe 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 lossesrdquoAnother officer privy to the investigation told midday ldquoHe 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 138 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 ranrdquoPolice 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 6Mira BhayandarVasai Virar police chief Sadanand Date also visited the spot on Friday