Chennai: In a shocking incident that exposes the lax security in Chennai banks, unknown persons drilled holes on Sunday night through a wall of the Indian Overseas Bank in the city and looted gold and cash worth Rs 1 crore.
According to police sources, the bank employees had opened the shutter of the bank situated on Arcot Road in Virugambakkam on Monday morning.
“When they opened the doors of the bank, the employees experienced a burning smell. When they rushed to the cash safe and locker room, they found the lockers had been welded open,” the source added.
“After experiencing the smell, we rushed to the cash safe only to find scattered cash and boxes. Jewel lockers were also damaged. Then we alerted our manager and police,” the employees said.
Meanwhile, the police had found that Shabir Lal Sandh, a security guard in his mid-20s, had gone missing. “Shabir had been working as a security guard at the bank for past 5 years. He has been missing since Sunday evening. He is a Nepali,” a police source revealed.
According to bank employees and customers, the burglars took away nearly 100 sovereigns of gold and Rs 32 lakh in cash. “Locker number 259 and 654 of the branch was completely looted, while others are untouched,” IOB branch manager Saroja confirmed.
A senior police official said that the there is no connection between the first and second floors. The burglars might have carried an LPG cooking gas cylinder and a welding hydrogen gas cylinder.
“As the security guard had been living in the bank, he is probably the only person who could know every nook and corner of the bank. The heist might not have happened without the help of well-acquainted persons. As the handling of welding devices requires experience, one or more people might have conspired to carry out the bank job,” sources added.
Immediately after the news of bank theft broke out, city police commissioner A.K. Viswanathan visited the spot and conducted preliminary investigations.
“We have collected major clues in the case and we are confident that we will nab the perpetrators. The burglars had entered the bank by drilling a hole in the wall,” Viswanathan said.
Meanwhile, local residents who are keeping their valuables in the bank's lockers gathered in front of the bank and created tension at the spot. “We are keeping our jewels at banks to safeguard them from burglars. If the banks start being careless, where will we go,” an angry customer rued.
