From Chemistry Scholar to Bank Robber: The Fall of Deep Shubham and His Capture

Police had been searching for Deep Shubham since he executed two bank robberies in Delhi in 2021.

New Delhi:

Sometimes life imitates art in unexpected ways. While the popular series Breaking Bad portrays a Chemistry professor turning to crime after a terminal diagnosis, reality presented its own version when a Chemistry scholar conducted bank heists in Delhi and Bihar. Deep Shubham claimed financial hardship drove him to criminal activities. Though he eventually attempted to reform, law enforcement never forgot his crimes.

Recently, Delhi Police Head Constable Ajay received intelligence that Deep Shubham, a wanted bank robbery suspect, had been spotted in Haryana's Sohna area. Authorities employed technical surveillance to locate Deep and subsequently arrested him for multiple bank robberies committed in Delhi and Bihar between 2017 and 2021.

According to police reports, Deep had been employed at an interior design company when apprehended.

Investigators revealed that the 32-year-old suspect, originally from Bihar's Sitamarhi district, earned both undergraduate and postgraduate Chemistry degrees from Delhi's prestigious Kirori Mal College. He further advanced his education with an MPhil degree. Later, after passing the Common Law Admission Test, Deep began pursuing legal studies but was forced to abandon his LLB program when his family encountered financial difficulties.

Deep informed police that he turned to criminal activity when his family could no longer provide financial support. This explanation appears questionable considering his extensive educational qualifications, which would typically provide ample employment opportunities.

Police stated that Deep's first criminal act occurred in 2017. He constructed a smoke bomb using firecrackers, methyl acetate, and benzene. Using this device, he targeted a Bank of India branch in Sitamarhi and successfully stole Rs 3.6 lakh. Following this robbery, he was arrested and convicted.

Upon release from prison, Deep had the opportunity to rehabilitate his life but instead returned to criminal behavior. He formed a partnership with another criminal, Ritesh Thakur, and together they conducted armed robberies at two Delhi banks in September and October 2021. These heists in Delhi's Gujranwala resulted in the theft of jewelry valued at nearly Rs 7 lakh along with multiple mobile phones.

Deep was subsequently declared a proclaimed offender with police actively searching for him until his capture last week. Harsh Indora, Deputy Commissioner of Police for Delhi Police Crime Branch, remarked that despite Deep's impressive academic qualifications, he chose criminality and now faces the consequences appropriate for his actions.