One gang at work?

Three brazen bank robberies in the past four months have got the police minutely examining the modus operandi of the gang involved.

Three brazen bank robberies in the past four months have got the police minutely examining the modus operandi of the gang involved. Several similarities have led investigators to believe that it could either be the handiwork of one group, or many splinters of the original group.

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Knowledge of the area
Joint commissioner of police, Rajnish Seth, said, “The robbers seem to have very good knowledge of the area. They strike with accuracy and disperse without leaving a trail.”

Strike in the mornings
The gang generally strikes in the morning hours when there are not many customers at the bank and alertness levels are generally low.

Wear masks
Seth said the gang members in all three robberies wore masks or handkerchiefs on their faces to avoid being identified.

Prefer Mondays
Additional commissioner of police, Ramrao Pawar, said the thieves preferred rainy Mondays to strike. “Normally, the rain ensures little traffic on the road which makes escape easy,” he said. Joint commissioner of police, crime, Himanshu Roy, said the thieves preferred Mondays as the banks had their weekend collection (on Saturday) kept inside. Mostly, banks move their weekend collection (highest in the week) only on Monday evenings.
Strike banks with low security
Lastly, the gang targeted banks with low or nil security. While one of these banks didn’t have CCTV cameras installed, the bank where the robbers struck on Monday had a senior citizen deployed on guard duty.