Burglars struck at the Punjab National Bank branch at Bikshandarkoil near Tiruchi for the second time in five years, and took away 470 sovereigns of gold jewellery and ₹19 lakh in cash from five lockers after breaking them open.
The heist came to light when the bank staff reported for work on Monday morning. The burglars had gained entry into the bank by drilling a hole on the wall on the rear side of the building on the Tiruchi-Chennai Trunk Road.
The bank has nearly 400 lockers and burglars apparently chose five of them randomly, police said. About 40 sovereigns of stolen jewellery and ₹1.74 lakh found outside the bank premises were seized by investigating teams.
A gas cylinder, a sweater, mask, gloves and a cutter left behind by the burglars were found next to the hole. The gas cutters were apparently used to open the locks. The burglars had made a second hole as well, said police sources.
Though equipped with surveillance cameras outside and inside the premises, the bank did not have a security guard. However, the burglars took away the hard disk connected to the surveillance cameras, making it difficult for the police to establish their identity.
Anxious customers rushed to the bank as news of the burglary spread.
However, most of them were relieved after the authorities displayed the numbers of burgled lockers along with the names of the owners.
A gang of four?
Going by the modus operandi, police suspect that at least four persons were involved in the burglary carried out in an area dotted with commercial establishments.
Superintendent of Police, Tiruchi Ziaul Haque told The Hindu that five lockers were broken into and three of them contained valuables and the other two had documents belonging to a private company. The culprits did not lay their hands on any other item.
The bank has a vacant plot adjoining it and a school on the rear with a compound wall in between.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tiruchi Range, Lalitha Lakshmi, inspected the crime scene and conducted detailed inquiries with the staff for over an hour.
A sniffer dog was pressed into service to retrace the escape route of the burglars. Investigators were sifting through video footage generated from the cameras installed in the bank’s vicinity.
“Forensic experts have lifted a few fingerprints from the crime scene. Five special teams have been formed to probe the case,” said Mr. Haque.
The Kollidam Police are investigating the case.
In March 2013, the bank’s ATM on the same campus was broken open and ₹21 lakh in cash stolen.
