CHENNAI: In a daring robbery, burglars used gas cutters to break open safety lockers of a Indian Overseas Bank branch in Virugambakkam on Sunday night and escaped with Rs 32 lakh in cash and over 100 sovereigns of gold.Police sources confirmed late on Monday that Sabilal (48), security guard of the bank, and his son, Dillu, are prime suspects in the case. They also released their photos. “Natives of Nepal, they settled in Thiruvallur. Two teams of police have been dispatched to Nepal and West Bengal,” sources added
They tried to open many lockers, but were successful with only two, belonging to two women customers, and a cash box of the bank, the police said. The iron door of the room housing the lockers was drilled to facilitate the entry of a person and the CCTV recorder was taken by the burglars.“We got a strong smell of something burnt as we opened the shutter. On rushing to the cash safe, we found the things scattered. On the first floor, we found the lockers broken open and immediately alerted police,” said a bank employee who got there around 8 am on Monday.
Sabilal, who worked as a guard at the bank for the last five years went missing on Sunday, the police said, adding that they suspect he played a role in the burglary.“The lockers numbered 259 and 654 were broken open. The others are safe,” said Saroja, the branch manager.The police suspect the involvement of a gang as it would have been nearly impossible for a person to have carried the heavy gas cylinder alone. “Since the bank’s guard was missing, the needle of suspicion points to him. He stayed on the second floor of the building. The burglars used a small vent in the first floor to enter the bank,” a senior police officer told Express.Chennai city Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan, Additional Commissioner of South (Law and Order) Sarangan and other senior officials visited the spot.
Customers throng branch
Meanwhile, customers of the bank gathered in front of the bank. While one of the two locker-holders reached the spot, another person was said to be abroad.“We choose to keep our jewels and money in the bank since keeping them at the house is unsafe. But if the banks are being careless, where will we go,” questioned Muthukumaran, a resident of Virugambakkam. “I have stored ornaments I saved for my daughter’s wedding in the locker and rushed here on seeing the news on TV,” said Lalitha, a resident of Kodambakkam.
How did the burglars manage it
The suspects are believed to have entered through the vent in the first floor by carefully carrying the heavy hydrogen cylinder. They managed to drill the iron door of the room where the safety lockers were kept. They had also disconnected the CCTV cameras. After managing to break open two of the safety lockers, they attempted to open other lockers too, but in vain. Then they are believed to have headed to the ground floor and broke open the cash box of the bank.