Ghaziabad Police has found gaping holes and discrepancies during the probe of the sensational burglary committed in the Modi Nagar branch of Punjab National Bank. Burglars had managed to break into over 30 lockers and decamped with cash, jewellery and valuables worth several crores of rupees.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) HN Singh told The Pioneer that security arrangements in and around the branch were grossly inadequate. CCTV cameras were missing, there was no security guard to man the branch during nights and statement of the branch manager has been found at variance.
“I visited the crime spot and found that the bank lacked security measures. If any attempt was made to intrude inside the bank from any side, a siren should have been there to alert. Worse was that the CCTV cameras were not functional. There was no security guard to secure the bank premises during night hours: the SSP said.
The assessment of the loss could only be made when the individuals reveal their assets though the initial feedback that we have got is in crores of rupees, SSP added.
Earlier the branch manager had stated in his complaint that 11 lockers were found broken on Monday morning when he opened the branch. However the same manager informed the police that 30 lockers were found burgled. After some time the branch manager told that valuables were stolen from 26 lockers. He told the police that during the verification of records, it was found that four lockers which were also broken were not issued to any one hence were “empty” in bank records.
The police investigation has revealed that the burglars first cut the concrete wall of PNB situated in Modi cloth mills premises in Modinagar. The incident might have occurred during weekly off days of Saturday and Sunday and came to knowledge on Monday morning when the branch manager reached the bank to open it.
The trees and thick bushes around the rear side of the bank made it easier for the burglars to commit the crime without being detected.
“We had to use ladders to reach to the site and then had to go down through dense bushes where burglars might have rested comfortably while trying to break the concrete wall. Then they broke the padlocks but when they failed to open the latch lock of the lockers, they succeeded in twisting the cover of the lockers up to such extent that hand could insert inside the locker. Then the burglars took the valuables that were put in the lockers and decamped unchallenged”, the SSP said.