ANANTAPUR: Two masked men broke into State Bank of India’s JNTU branch in Anantapur and decamped with `35 lakh in the wee hours of Saturday.
The duo scaled the compound wall of the post office right behind the bank located on JNTU main road around 2 am to avoid being noticed. They gained entry into the bank by cutting open windows at the rear of the building with gas cutters and damaged CCTV cameras as soon as they broke in. The two then proceeded to cut open one of the three cash chests in the SBI branch before fleeing with `35 lakh.
Officials said the chest was exclusively used to store cash belonging to JNTU accounts. As the men have not left behind any clue, police suspect they belong to a gang of experienced robbers. Though there are two other chests in the bank, the robbers did not touch them, police said.
Police were unable to retrieve fingerprints from the crime scene as the men had worn gloves. “We suspect the involvement of a gang of robbers who have previously looted banks,” a senior official said.
A clues team and sniffer dogs have been pressed into service to track the robbers. Based on a complaint by the bank officials, a case has been registered and investigation is on.