'Human bomb' arrested for robbing Indian bank

INDIA: A man who robbed an Indian bank by pretending to be a human bomb was arrested in New Delhi Sunday and part of the stolen money was recovered - minus what was spent on a vacation in Thailand.

Suspect Sandeep Bhatnagar told police he thought of the desperate plan to raise money he owed to clients of his travel agency in New Delhi.

"Bhatnagar was under a lot of debt and so he robbed the bank," deputy police commissioner Robin Hibu said. "And after paying off his debts he went on a vacation to Thailand with a girlfriend."

Police found one million rupees (22,222 dollars) on the suspect, Hibu said. He said Bhatnagar distributed four million rupees to two associates who helped him plan the robbery.

Bhatnagar walked into the Unit Trust Bank on May 8 and even queued up for half an hour at the counter before going to the branch manager's office where he threatened to blow himself up.

He waited while the manager Sandeep Dham had a cashier hand over the money.

Bhatnagar was then escorted off the premises by Dham and two messengers, who even hailed a cab for him, police added.

New Delhi, Monday, AFP