In the aftermath of Monday’s Corporation Bank hold-up by a masked man with a knife, two bank officials have been booked for non-compliance with a government order making it mandatory for banks and other commercial establishments and public buildings to install closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) on their premises.
The manager of the bank’s Kulamangalam branch, P. Satish Kumar, and Assistant Manager N. Thirunavukkarasu, have been booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant). However, they were not arrested.
As a crime control measure, the State government had made CCTVs compulsory in all crowded places and public premises, by a Government Order issued by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department dated December 14, 2012.
“Apart from several rounds of talks with the representatives of banks, pawn brokers, jewellers, and other commercial establishments, we have sent many reminders to them to put up the CCTV facility to prevent crime,” Superintendent of Police V. Balakrishnan told The Hindu .
No security guard had been posted at the bank branch, police pointed out. A burglar alarm was not in operation.
But bank officials claimed it was the bank’s policy not to install CCTVs in rural branches.
The district police had issued a statement warning of stringent action against those who failed to comply with the government order.
Mr. Balakrishnan said just 126 out of the 167 nationalised and private banks had installed CCTVs. Likewise, 87 out of 280 finance companies and 136 out of 176 jewellery shops/pawn brokers in the rural district police limits had complied with the order.
He said the government had instructed all commercial institutions, where more than 100 people gathered, to install cameras to deter theft, waylaying and robbery.
The police are not ruling out complicity by bank staff in Monday’s heist involving Rs 10.60 lakh.
A woman staff was held hostage at knifepoint.
