No similarity with Malad bank robbery, say police

The police are investigating if there are any similarities between Monday's robbery at the HDFC Bank in Borivli and the last bank robbery in the city, at Model Cooperative Bank in Orlem, Malad (West), on June 21.

The police are investigating if there are any similarities between Monday's robbery at the HDFC Bank in Borivli and the last bank robbery in the city, at Model Cooperative Bank in Orlem, Malad (West), on June 21.

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Both incidents took place in the western suburbs and were conducted by armed, masked men.

The Malad theft, conducted by a gang of four men who escaped with Rs 34 lakh, remains unsolved as yet.

The Malad police are assisting the Borivli police by checking out whether it could be the handiwork of the same gang. But prima facie, there seem to be no links. "There seems to be no similarity between the two incidents,” Shardha Nikam, deputy commissioner of police (zone 11), said. "The modus operandi of the two gangs is also different."

An official from Malad police station who is helping the Borivli police said they have checked the CCTV images of the two gangs and there is no similarity in the mannerisms or appearances of the robbers. "The men involved in the Borivli bank robbery appear to be thinner than the ones who conducted the Malad robbery," he said. "But we are investigating all angles."

The Malad police have prepared sketches of the four men based on CCTV footage, but they have not been able to arrest anyone so far. They suspect the Malad robbery could be the handiwork of a new gang.