CHENNAI: A masked burglar spent nearly four hours inside a Bank of India branch in West Mambalam during the early hours of Friday but fled without stealing any cash or valuables after failing to break open the safe.
Police said Saraswathi, a cleaner at the bank located in Postal Colony, noticed that the shutter lock had been broken when she arrived for work on Friday morning.
On entering the premises, she found several documents scattered and torn. She alerted the bank’s administrative manager, Tamilmathi, who inspected the branch and confirmed that no cash or valuables had been stolen. A complaint was subsequently lodged with the Ashok Nagar police.
Police examined CCTV footage, which showed a masked man moving around the bank with a torchlight and entering the cashier’s room, apparently searching for money.
The intruder attempted to break open a locker containing cash and jewellery but failed, police said. Frustrated, he tore several documents before fleeing, they said. A search is on for the suspect.