Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati   

Daylight bank heist in Tirupati

Special Correspondent

Miscreants decamp with Rs. 9 lakh after threatening staff

Tirupati: In a crisp operation, two miscreants struck at Khadi Colony branch of the Karur Vysya Bank here in broad daylight and fled with a booty of Rs.9 lakh.

In the daring hold-up which had all the trappings of a movie, the duo entered the bank branch with their helmets around 1 p.m. after transactions were closed at 12 noon.

Both of them, reportedly speaking well in English and Tamil, were carrying a pistol and a dagger each.

They were then said to have placed a ‘bomb’ on a table before getting into action.

While one stood guard at the entrance after pulling down the shutters, his accomplice stormed the cash counter, placed a bag on the table and forced the cashier to fill it.

The cashier told a news channel that , the robber forced him to push whatever was left into the bag’s side pouch.

He later turned his attention to the strong-room but had to give up when the cashier told him that he did not have the keys.

The assailants warned the staff members against using their cell phones saying that if anyone ventured, the ‘bomb’ placed on the table would explode killing all of them on the spot. The duo later reportedly herded all the staff members into the stationary room and shut them before leaving the bank as coolly as they came.

Police are still clueless on their escape route and their mode of transport. A bomb squad which descended at the scene found that what was placed on the table with wires was not a bomb at all.

The Clues Team and so also the dog squad were pressed into service.

The DSP, Tirupati (urban), Rajaiah, who is heading the investigation said that a red alert has been sounded in the district and an intensive checking of vehicles on all roads has been taken up to track down the fugitives.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Daylight bank heist in Tirupati
Vegetables donated to TTD
Diversion of TTD funds opposed
Southern Discom launches special drive in Tirupati

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu