Burglars gain entry into Federal Bank branch at Malkajgiri in Secunderabad; make away with 1 kg gold, 1.75 cash Hyderabad: Within a wee...
Burglars gain entry into Federal Bank branch at Malkajgiri in Secunderabad; make away with 1 kg gold, 1.75 cash
Hyderabad: Within a week of the bank heist in Ghatkesar on the outskirts of the city, another bank in the heart of Secunderabad was burgled in the wee hours of Tuesday, much to the chagrin of investors and cops alike. The robbers sneaked into the Federal Bank branch at Malkajgiri and made away with booty of an estimated 1 kg gold jewellery and Rs 1.75 lakh cash, according to the police.
The police who examined the CCTV footage took into custody five persons, including two bank employees, for questioning.The bank, which is located in the main centre of Malkajgiri, Geetha Nagar, has been a major source of gold loans for hundreds of families residing in the locality. Immediately after learning about the incident, scores of members of worried families who deposited their jewellery thronged the bank.
Agitated investors throng the bank premises after news of robbery began to spread at Malkajgiri in Secunderabad on Tuesday
The police who arrived with the Clues team and a dog squad began examining the CCTV footage inside the bank. “We are investigating the case and after examining the CCTV footage thoroughly, we will be able catch hold of the culprits,” said Naveen Kumar, Detective Inspector, Malkajgiri. Incidentally, there was no security guard on the bank premises when the incident took place.
Though initially it was thought that some burglars gained entry into the bank and got away with the gold and cash, unofficial sources said it was the handiwork of insiders. The robbers successfully opened the chest locker after easily entering the bank through the main entrance. The CCTV footage show that the operation was smoothly finished without a hitch in the dark.
The Special Operations Team (SOT) which is investigating the case is verifying if the keys which were used to open the bank were duplicate ones or the master keys. One of the peculiar features of the burglary was use of chilli powder at the crime scene to mislead the Clues team. It is believed that the kingpin of the crime is yet to be identified by the police. The police continued to verify the statements of the Bank Manager, Girisham and security guards.
“Unlike the robbery of Grameena Bank in Ghatkesar, no equipment was used. The only thing used were the keys. We are investigating if the keys were misplaced by the manager giving a chance for others to make duplicates,” says a source. This incident comes almost one year after the burglary of A P Mahesh Cooperative Urban Bank in A S Rao Nagar where an employee and his family turned out to be the real culprits.
