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₹8.65 lakh looted at gunpoint from co-op bank in Chandigarh
The man, covering his face with a handkerchief, entered the branch at noon, pretending to be a customer
A masked man robbed ₹8.65 lakh at gunpoint from an unguarded cooperative bank in Sector 61, Chandigarh, on Monday.
The broad daylight robbery took place at Chandigarh State Cooperative Bank, which is operating from shop number 15 in the Sector-61 market right next to a police post.
The man, covering his face with a handkerchief, entered the branch at noon, pretending to be a customer seeking information about his account. He walked out with the bank’s cash bag within two minutes, said police.
There were four employees present on the premises when the accused, who seemed to be in his early 30s, walked in. He shoved them and then pulled out his gun, pointing it at peon Amarjit Singh, who was sitting at the cash counter. He told him to hand over the cash bag, while threatening to shoot all of them.
“We have got some leads, and will arrest the accused soon,” said Kuldeep Singh Chahal, senior superintendent of police, Chandigarh. A case under Section 392 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code besides under the Arms Act has been registered on the complaint of branch manager Anuradha Awasty.
The bank had initially claimed that ₹10.5 lakh were robbed, but later after cross-checking their registers, the missing amount was found to be ₹8.65 lakh.
No security guard, CCTV cameras not working
There was no security guard deployed at the bank. There are CCTV cameras at both the entrance and inside the bank, but police said they were not working since February 4.
“It seems the accused had conducted a recce, and was aware of the non-functional cameras and absence of guards. He also knew where the cash is kept, and thus was able to orchestrate the crime in just two minutes,” said Shruti Arora, assistant superintendent of police (south).
Police have taken into possession the bank’s digital video recorder and are scanning the footage of cameras installed in the vicinity.
Suspicion on man who committed robbery at Mohali bank
Two men had looted ₹4.8 lakh at gunpoint from an all-woman branch of Punjab National Bank in Phase 3A, Mohali, on June 17 last year. The two of them along with two aides were later arrested.
Based on the description provided by the cooperative bank employees and the modus operandi, Chandigarh Police have zeroed in on one of the men involved in the Mohali robbery.
He is out on bail, and as per police is aware of the area as he stays in close vicinity. Police have also alerted their Mohali counterparts after the robbery.
