BENGALURU: The recent spate of thefts at gold loan finance firms and jewellery shops have revealed that though these establishments store large amounts of gold and other valuables, they accord low priority to security.
In the theft incident that happened on Thursday, the police found that Manappuram gold loan outlet on Bommanahalli Main Road, where Rs 12 lakh worth gold jewellery was stolen, no security guard was deployed by the firm.
On October 26, after a gold heist case at another Manappuram outlet was cracked, Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh had stated that there will be a new regulation for the gold finance companies, pawn brokers and other firms storing valuables, to deploy security guards and install high definition cameras.
He had also stated that cases will be booked against erring firms. But sources confirmed that the regulation is yet to be passed by Bengaluru City Police. Hence it is not in a position to file a case against Manappuram Finance for not deploying security guards.
Inspired by a Tamil movie Sigaram Thodu the miscreants had in October barged into a Manappuram outlet in Jnanaganganagar, wielding lethal weapons and looted gold jewellery worth Rs 2 crore. After committing the crime, the robbers had fled with the Digital Video recorder (DVR) attached to the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera network in the store.
When asked about if any action would be taken against the Manappuram Finance for not abiding by the guidelines, the investigating officer, Rohini Katoch, DCP (South- East), said, “Our first priority right now is to crack the case and arrest the offenders. After which, the police will take suitable action against the Manappuram Finance considering the fact that there was no security guard on duty.”
She further said, “A special team has been formed who has been investigating the case. The staff members are also being questioned and the police will crack the case at the earliest.”
It may be noted that this is the third such incident occurring at Manappuram Finance outlets in the last two months in the city. In each case, the burglars came well prepared, even carrying chilli powder to mislead the sniffer dogs. The police are also worried that the robbers are using novel techniques and leaving behind little clues.
No lessons learnt
- November 26: A gang of unidentified robbers looted Manappuram Gold Loan office at Bommanahalli Main Road and made away with goldvaluables worth Rs 12 lakh. They had cut the power supply to the building and switched off surveillance cameras
- October 4: A gang of five men were arrested for a failed attempt to rob Manappuram Finance outlet in Rajagopalnagar
- October 16: Four masked men barged into Manappuram Gold Loan outlet Jnanaganganagar and took away valuables worth overRs 2 crore
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