"Bombshell Bandit" Jailed for 66 Months

WASHINGTON: Sandeep Kaur (24), a woman of Indian-origin was convicted of robbing four banks in three American states. She has been sentenced to 66 months in Prison.

Sandeep Kaur was nicknamed as “Bombshell Bandit”. She is from Union City, California and was sentenced in the Federal District Court in St. George in Utah.

As well as serving 66 months in Prison, Sandeep Kaur was ordered to payback $40,000, which she had stolen in the four robberies.

Kaur had pleaded guilty in January 2015 to four felony charges of bank robberies which took place during the summer of 2014.

The term “Bombshell Bandit” was given by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as Sandeep kaur was a well-dressed woman who would approach bank tellers and then threaten to explode a bomb if they refused to hand over money from their registers.

Kaur's crime began in California and terminated after robbing the US Bank in the city of St. George, which led police officers on a high-speed pursuit to Nevada, where she was arrested after an hour-long halt.

Kaur's attorney, Jay Winward asked the court for a sentence of 48 months. He told the court that Kaur was young, well-educated, capable of paying restitution, and had no prior criminal history. He stated that Kaur was raised in a traditional Indian family and grew up feeling “trapped” and bullied, and how she had run from an arranged marriage, to her boyfriend, whom she subsequently married. However, the relationship turned abusive.

Winward also added that even though Kaur threatened violence during the robberies, she was not a violent person and did not have a firearm or explosives during the robberies.

However, prosecuting attorney Paul Kohler said that during the robberies, the bank tellers were unaware that Kaur did not have a weapon, hence, they were afraid for their lives. The tellers were “trapped”, as were the families driving on the I-15 motorway during the police chase, and the police officers who responded.

Before pronouncing the sentence, US district judge Ted Stewart called the case “complex”, indicating both the violence of Kaur’s crimes, as well as her intelligence and opportunities.

Ted Stewart stated, “However, the circumstances of Kaur’s life explained, but did not justify the crimes... and did not warrant a lesser sentence. The public must be protected.”