Burglars drilled a two-foot hole at a bank in Ghaziabad and fled away with valuables worth crores.
The incident took place at Punjab National Bank's Modinagar branch where as many as 30 lockers were emptied. After entering the office, they cut the hole in the common wall, which is about nine inches thick, at a height just above where the lockers end, reported The Times of India.
The burglary was reported only after a bank staff entered the office at around 9:45 am on Monday.
Speaking to the newspaper, assistant general manager S K Pancholi said,"After opening the steel door, the officials were about to open the next door which is an iron grille like those found in prisons. However, they noticed through the grille that things had been scattered inside the strongroom. They also noticed that several lockers seemed to have been bro ken. They immediately called up the police control room."
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The official added that the bank was closed for 2 days and there were no security personnel at the branch. He said that the bank was dependent on police patrol vehicles for security.
The Ghaziabad police reached the spot along with a forensic team and a dog squad after receiving a call from the staff. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC based on a complaint registered by the bank officials.
Police said the burglars used hammers and pickaxes to break the cement-concrete of the nine-inch-thick wall while its steel frame was cut open with the help of blade saws. The equipments were found on the spot.
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The accused are yet to be arrested.
Many bank customers thronged the branch after getting the news and were worried that they will never be able to get back their valuables.
Earlier in May, in a similar incident, thieves had drilled a hole into the wall of a jewellery shop in Kalyan, Maharashtra and escaped with valuables worth Rs 65 lakh, including gold and cash.
