In a case of burglary, masked culprits broke into a public sector bank branch in Trichy district over the weekend and made away with the contents of five lockers. The robbery at the franchise of the Punjab National Bank was discovered on Monday when employees returned from their weekly holiday. Efforts are underway to nab the criminals.
The bank is located at Samayapuram near the Trichy-Chennai national highway in Trichy district. According to the police, the burglars gained entry into the bank by breaking a hole on the back of the building. The bank shares a wall with a private school behind it. The police tell TNM that a gas welding machine was used to enter the premises.
Once inside, they left the main locker untouched but took money and jewellery from five private lockers. Surprisingly, they left behind the tools they used – the machine used to cut through the wall, a hammer and some other tools – before making away with the loot.
Talking to TNM, Trichy Superintendent of Police Ziaul Haque IPS says, "There were no security guards present when the crime took place. We cannot rule out insider involvement as of now. We have employed sniffer dogs, forensic and fingerprint experts to identify the accused."
The biggest setback the police are currently facing, however, is the unavailability of CCTV footage.
"The culprits have taken away the footage storing device and there is no backup. We suspect that the incident happened on Sunday," says the SP. "We don't know the total value of goods stolen as of now either," he adds.
As news of the burglary spread, anxious customers rushed to the bank. According to reports locker numbers - 39, 114, 223, 299 and 300 were emptied by the burglars.
This is not the first time that bank employees have been shocked by a break-in following the weekend. In May Last year, officials at the Bank of India branch in Thiruvallur opened the shutters on a Monday to find 30 kilograms of gold missing. However, the availability of CCTV footage helped the police zero in on suspects in the previous case.