Investigators probing the heist at the A.P. Mahesh Cooperative Urban Bank at A.S. Rao Nagar have their hopes pinned on the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) that contains the hard disc connected to the surveillance cameras inside the bank.
The intruders had disconnected power supply to the cameras before stealing gold jewellery weighing 14 kilograms from one of the heavy duty lockers in the early hours of Friday.
“We suspect the intruders had committed the robbery only after scouting the premises in detail. They could have visited the bank several times to study the location of the strongroom and lockers. So, the hard disc containing video footage could help us zero in on those involved in the crime,” a senior official explained.
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The DVR would have had a facility to store surveillance camera data for at least one month.
“We are collecting more details to check the possible role of an insider in the crime. We will be able to get clues within a few days,” the official hoped.
Police suspect that at least four persons could have been involved in the robbery. Using duplicate keys, they managed to open the shutter and strongroom locks.
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In 2004, a branch of the Canara Bank in the same area was robbed of Rs. 69 lakh. The case remains unsolved till date.
Investigators are also trying to collect details of another robbery in which nine kilograms of gold and Rs.6 in lakh in cash was allegedly stolen from a private finance company in Khammam district.
The heist, which was captured by CCTV cameras, had shown a masked man taking away gold and cash from two lockers of the branch located at Madhira town, police said.
“We will try to compare footage stored in the hard disc at Mahesh bank with that of visuals captured in the cameras installed in the finance company at Madhira,” the official added.
Police officials are also trying to collect details of a gang that struck at a Grameena bank in Ranga Reddy district a few months ago.