Police close 32 bank branches with inadequate security in Amritsar

The police said these branches did not follow the security norms as prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

A day after three unidentified armed men looted Rs 10.9 lakh from a branch of IndusInd Bank at Sohian Kalan village in Majitha sub-division, the rural district police on Wednesday shutdown 32 branches of a number of banks. The police said these branches did not follow the security norms as prescribed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). According to a police release, the banks closed were two branches of the Axis Bank; two of the National Bank; ten branches of the Punjab National Bank; six branches of the Cooperative Bank; seven of the HDFC Bank; one of the ICICI Bank; one of the Union Bank; one of the IDBI Bank and two of the IndusInd Bank.

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SSP rural Vikramjit Singh Duggal said, “These branches were not following the guidelines of the RBI. Most of the branches were running in small rooms and some of them had no guard.” He added no bank branch in rural district would be allowed to run if it did not follow prescribed security norms.

Majitha DSP Jogeshwar Singh Goraya said the branch had five employees, but only two were present at the time of the incident. “There was no customer in the bank when the robbery took place. The bank neither had a guard nor CCTVs. This is against RBI guidelines,” the DSP added.

Punjab National Bank lead district manager Pritpal Singh said, “We have informed out senior authorities about the issue.” He added that he did not know if branches of other banks had also been closed as well.

Strap/Blurb

Police action came a day after Rs 11 lakh dacoity at a private bank branch in a village; branches ordered to shutdown did not have security as per RBI norms, say police