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Robbers steal jewellery worth crores after cutting through bank wall
The thieves, according to police, gained entry by cutting a 2.5-foot-wide hole in the wall behind the bank. Once inside, they disabled the bank’s alarm system, allowing them to remain undetected for up to two hours.
A daring heist shook the Chinhat area of Lucknow on Saturday night, with four robbers breaking into a bank and making off with jewellery worth crores. The incident occurred at the Indian Overseas Bank’s Chinhat branch, just a few meters from the Chinhat police station outpost, raising serious concerns about local security.
The thieves, according to police, gained entry by cutting a 2.5-foot-wide hole in the wall behind the bank. Once inside, they disabled the bank’s alarm system, allowing them to remain undetected for up to two hours. The robbers targeted the lockers, cutting open 30 of them and making off with jewellery worth crores, said police sources. Notably, the exact value of the stolen jewellery has not yet been ascertained.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) East Shashank Singh, who visited the scene, confirmed that the robbers likely entered through an empty plot in Matiyari, adjacent to the bank. “The thieves cut through the wall and accessed the locker room. They managed to steal the goods without triggering any alarms. No security guard was present either,” Singh said.
Six police teams, including forensic and dog squads, have been formed to investigate the crime. Initial reports suggest that the thieves were a group of four. Despite a cash stash of ₹12 lakh being kept in the bank’s cupboard, it was the jewellery that was the primary target, the DCP said.
On Sunday evening, special task officials (STF) arrived at the scene and inspected the surrounding area to investigate the incident.
The theft went unnoticed until the following afternoon when the owner of a nearby furniture store noticed the cut wall and alerted the authorities. The bank was closed on Sunday, and no one was present to detect the crime earlier, said bank representatives.
The dog squad, which arrived at the scene to investigate, could track the robbers for only 200 metres, indicating that they either parked nearby or used a different route to escape.
“There was only one CCTV camera inside the bank, and no cameras were found outside. The footage captured four thieves inside the premises. It is believed that 3-4 accomplices were stationed outside, relaying real-time information to those inside,” said police officials.
This is not the first time the bank has been targeted. According to locals, a similar incident involving an ATM theft occurred three months ago. The police continue their investigation into the robbery, with efforts to track down the robbers still underway.
