Bank murders: Police spot third suspect in CCTV camera footage

Seven teams of the Noida police are on the lookout for the unidentified men who killed two security guards.

A third accused was spotted in the CCTV footage from the Sector 1 branch of Punjab National Bank, where two security guards were murdered early Friday during a robbery bid.

Two guards at the Sector 1 branch of Punjab National Bank were killed on Friday morning. (HT file)

Police had earlier said that only two men were seen in the footage.

They said during a review of the footage from a camera located near the guard room, where the bodies were found, they saw a third person.

“We now believe that three men were involved in the crime,” senior superintendent of police Ajay Pal Sharma said.

He also said they have now scanned the footage of all cameras on the premises.

Seven teams of the Noida police are on the lookout for the unidentified men who killed two security guards. The Noida police have zeroed in on seven who might give them leads in the case.

Early Friday, two men had entered the premises of PNB by scaling the boundary wall.

The accused attacked the guards with sticks, leaving them injured, before making their way to the main building around 3am. They had stayed in the building for nearly an hour but left with nothing more than a digital video recorder.

“We have seven teams working under six inspectors and one sub-inspector. We have questioned several suspects and have narrowed down on seven people who might have some information about the robbery bid. They are small-time thieves from nearby areas,” Sharma said.

He said the police are also looking at CCTV footage from nearby establishments. “We are trying to trace the movements of the accused before they entered the bank premises,” the SSP said.

He said after reviewing the initial footage and the preliminary investigation, the chances are that the suspects are amateur thieves. However, police are exploring all possible options.

“We are speaking with the employees as well as ex-employees of the bank. The teams are carrying out investigations in Noida and nearby areas,” Shodan Singh, senior sub-inspector, Sector 20 police station, said.

While police are busy identifying the accused, the families of the two victims, Mukesh Kumar Yadav and Mudrika Prasad, are still hoping for some compensation either from the bank or the security agency with which the two were employed.

“No one has spoken to us about any compensation yet. We are in our village to conduct the last rites of my brother-in-law. However, if we don’t receive some help from them, we will return to Noida,” Sanjeev Kumar, Mukesh’s relative, said. The families had also protested outside the bank on Friday evening demanding compensation.

The autopsy report, which came on Saturday, said the cause of death was head injuries. The guards were beaten with sticks.