Warangal: Miscreants robbed State Bank of India's (SBI) branch in Rayaparthi Mandal and looted approximately 19 kilograms of gold ornaments worth ₹14.94 crore on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, leaving around 500 customers in utter financial distress.
How The Robbery Unfolded: Exploiting the absence of a security guard, the burglars entered the bank by cutting alarm wires to avoid detection. They then removed the iron grill of a window to gain entry. Inside, they disabled the CCTV cameras by cutting their wires and later stole the hard disk to erase proof.
Using a gas cutter that they were carrying, the thieves broke into one of the bank's three customer safety lockers which contained 497 packets of gold ornaments. The robbers then abandoned the gas cutter at the scene before escaping.
Discovery And Police Action: The bank staff noticed the heist on Tuesday morning and lodged a complaint with the police, following which a case was registered. Officers, including Vardhannapet Circle Inspector Srinivasa Rao and Senior Inspectors Shravan Kumar and Raju, inspected the site. West Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police, Raja Mahendra Nayak later visited the branch and reviewed the situation.
Bank Reassurance: The news of the robbery caused panic among the bank’s customers, many of whom rushed to the branch seeking clarification. Bank officials assured them that necessary steps would be taken to ensure their valuables were accounted for.
Security Lapses: This is the second incident involving this branch, as an earlier robbery attempt was reported two years ago. Following that attempt, a private security guard was hired, but the position has remained vacant for the past year.
Investigation Underway: Police have registered a case and initiated a detailed investigation. Authorities are combing through clues, including the abandoned gas cutter, and are examining whether any prior knowledge about the bank's setup was exploited.
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