The incident came to light when an official reached the branch on Monday and found the light in the bank vault switched on. On closer scrutiny, he found a two-feet hole in the wall, from where the thieves allegedly entered the vault.
The Punjab National Bank (PNB) staffers might be involved in the sensational robbery that took place in the bank's branch near Kapda Mill in Modi Nagar on Monday, police have said. Some unidentified thieves had broken into 30 lockers belonging to customers of a private bank and decamped with valuables and documents. The loss could run into crores.
The incident came to light when an official reached the branch on Monday and found the light in the bank vault switched on. On closer scrutiny, he found a two-feet hole in the wall, from where the thieves allegedly entered the vault.
"We are working on the leads. The robbery looks planned. We suspect the involvement of someone who knew how the bank functioned. Apart from the CCTV footage, we don't have any major clues," HN Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ghaziabad, said. He added that they were yet to ascertain the number of robbers.
Stepping up the security, the bank authorities have now stationed two round-the-clock security guards at the branch after sealing the hole in the wall. The police patrolling in the area has also been intensified.
According to the bank officials, the robbery could not have taken place between 8 pm and 6 am on the weekend because an alarm sensitive to heat, light, and smoke has been installed inside the strong room to automatically work within this time period.
Branch officials are assuming that the thieves could have broken into the vault before the sensor systems were activated for the night. "The movement sensor system, which is connected to an alarm was to be activated around 8-9pm. The thieves probably came in before the system was activated," branch manager Ashok Srivastava said.
Meanwhile, many customers who arrived at the bank broke down after hearing about the incident. Angry customers then cornered the bank officials. On Tuesday, the police also discovered another hole in the wall that was abandoned midway as it opened onto the back of a steel cabinet.
According to the police, the robbery was planned by a professional gang or someone with inside help, who was well versed with the bank operations. The hole was drilled at a height nearly six feet through a wall between the bank vault and an empty office.
The cops are also surprised as to how the thieves bypassed the heavy security and knew where to enter the vault.
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