The Chennai City Police, on Thursday released the portraits of three people suspected to be involved in the heist at the Perungudi branch of Bank of Baroda in suburban Thoraipakkam on January 23.
A four-member gang had robbed `19.25 lakh from the bank on the busy IT corridor on Old Mamallapuram Road (OMR) after holding the bank manager, cashier, other staff and customers at gunpoint and escaped in a waiting car. The gang members are suspected to be from north India as they spoke in Hindi.
The sketches of the suspects were drawn from descriptions given by the bank manager, staff and the customers who were present at the scene. As the robbers had not covered their faces, police were quickly able to draw the sketches based on inputs given by eyewitnesses.
The copies of the potraits were also pasted at public places such as railway stations and bus stops across the city. However, nobody was able to recollect the face of the fourth robber. “Many people failed to notice the fourth person. Though a few have seen him, there are a lot of problems in developing the portrait as nobody was able to recollect his face,” said an investigating official.
More than 25 special teams have been formed to solve the crime. Special teams have questioned more than 400 persons, including construction workers from Bihar employed in Perungudi and nearby areas, but failed to make any breakthrough in the case. The absence of an alarm and CCTV cameras has made the probe more challenging for the police.
Besides, as the police is not sure about the vehicle used by the robbers to get away, a random check is being carried out at checkposts. Cops have pasted pamphlets in railway stations and bus stops, asking the public to share any information about the gang on: 9884203821.
