Hyderabad: Police said the suspects had been conducting a recce for the past three days. They found that the gang had come to the bank on Monday.
On Tuesday morning they came to the premises a couple of hours before the branch opened and spoke to a few people about the timings of the branch. They had tea at a stall in front of the branch and inquired about the timings from the owner Neelavardhan Reddy.
The owner of the building said they heard sudden noise from inside and found armed men. Kishore Kumar said that when he tried to intercept them they pushed him away. Kishore sustained minor injuries in the incident.
Neelavardhan said that they had tea at his shop at around 7.30 and asked about the timings and the movement of the people. “ I told them that the bank would open at 10. When they asked me about the staff, I was not aware of the details. They waited near my shop till 8 and left the place.” he said.
Construction supervisor Balraj who was working at the site beside the bank said that they heard someone screaming from inside and suspected something was wrong.
“I alerted other workers and we all rushed to the bank, but four people carrying weapons came out. When we tried to block them, they threatened us with pistols and knives and we had to give them way down.” said Balraj.
The building owner Kishore Kumar said that he found construction workers rushing towards the bank and followed them. However, he found men with weapons coming out and the staff were screaming for help.
“Though they threatened us, we tried to nab them, but they pushed me and one more person to the floor and ran away.” he said. Balraj injured his feet, while one Ravi fell at the entrance of the stairs after slipping on the steps and injured his back. Both were rushed to hospital and are said to be out of danger now.
