Over 45 minutes, robbers take Rajasthan bank officials hostage, decamp with Rs 15 lakh
The UCO Bank branch in Jaipur had no security guard, robbers took officials hostage as they entered the bank
Two armed robbers Thursday decamped with Rs 15 lakh from a bank in Jaipur after taking the officials and customers hostage at gunpoint in a siege that lasted nearly 45 minutes. The incident took place at Adarsh Nagar branch of UCO Bank, situated in the heart of the city, police said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the bank branch doesn’t have any security guard. “At 9.30am, soon after the bank opened, two men with their faces covered, entered the premises. They took a sanitation worker and a specially-abled bank official hostage at gunpoint,” said assistant commissioner of police, Adarsh Nagar, Madan Singh.
Over next 45 minutes, an unbelievable drama unfolded as the robbers kept taking people who entered the bank hostage.“The main entrance to the bank was open. As the staff members came in, they were taken hostage by the robbers,” said Singh.
The police said that CCTV footage shows that the robbers were armed with country-made pistols.
“This appears to be a meticulously planned crime as we suspect that the robbers knew that the bank didn’t employ any security guard. We regularly hold meetings and urge the banks to employ security guards to avoid such incidents,” said Brij Bhushan Agarwal, station house officer, Adarsh Nagar.
The police said that the miscreants decamped with Rs 14.77 lakh in cash.
“They also divested the bank manager of her jewels. They took their time and kept threatening people who entered the bank before forcing the employees to open the strongroom from where they took the money,” the ACP said.
According to the police, the miscreants were in the bank from 9:30am to 10:20am and fled on a motorcycle.
“A forensic team visited the spot and efforts are being made to identity the accused on the basis of CCTV footage. We have also recovered one country-made pistol left behind by one of the accused in haste. Further investigation is on,” said Hanuman Prasad, additional deputy commissioner of police (east)..
Health Minister Kali Charan Saraf, who is also the local MLA, visited the bank and directed deputy commissioner of police Kunwar Rashtradeep and other officials to make efforts to nab the culprits at the earliest.