GUNTUR: Guntur rural police, who cracked the robbery of SBI branch at Nadikudi, were surprised by the manner in which the first-time offenders committed the offence. The two accused are amateurs, who never committed even petty thefts earlier.
The duo opened the digital bank lockers with the knowledge they gained by watching how-to videos. Last Saturday, the duo broke into the SBI branch and decamped with Rs 77 lakh from the lockers. The police arrested the two offenders within a week.
Disclosing the details of the bank robbery case to mediapersons on Saturday, Guntur Rural Superintendent of Police Vishal Gunni said the accused Prasad and Ramudu hail from Miryalaguda in Telangana. They decided to strike big to overcome their financial problems and targeted the SBI branch at Nadikudi, which is located in a remote place where the movement of people is less.
They gained entry into the bank by removing the grill of a window in the rear side using a gas cutter. The duo disconnected the CCTV cameras to avoid being caught by police with the help of video footage.
Accused sprinkled chilli powder to leave no clue
They decamped with cash after sprinkling chilli powder on the bank premises to leave no clue. Though they ensured no technical evidence was left, a chit with a phone number on it that fell from the pocket of one of the accused at the crime scene, provided the police the vital clue in cracking the robbery case.
During interrogation, the offenders revealed that they watched how to videos pertaining to opening of digital bank lockers. After laying their hands on Rs 77 lakh, the duo hid Rs 45 lakh in a secluded place near a graveyard in Nadikudi as the sum is in Rs 100 note wads. They pocketed Rs 16 lakh each from the total booty. The entire cash stolen from the bank branch was recovered from the duo, the SP said.