KOTTAYAM: Burglars bored a hole into the strong room of the Muttuchira branch of Federal Bank and took away cash and gold worth nearly Rs.1 crore. According to the police, burglars took away 8769.4 grams (1096 sovereigns) of gold estimated at Rs.73,65,000 and Rs.17,42,135 in cash, totalling to Rs.91,07,135. The burglary came to notice when branch manager J. Abraham came to the office in the morning.

The burglary appeared to be a meticulously planned and executed job, the police said. The culprits broke open the wall of the building situated in an isolated place in a tapioca plantation. After entering the hall they destroyed the security alarm before attempting the burglary. The strong room is situated near the bathroom. According to the police no security guard was posted for the night. "Even the presence of a security guard would not have deterred the burglars as the building was situated in an isolated place," police sources said.

While they believe that the incident occurred just after midnight, they said "as of now, we can only say that it occurred somewhere between 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday and 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday." The modus operandi, they believe, is akin to the burglaries in Thrissur district a few weeks ago. They are also looking into the possibility of involvement of inter-state professional gangs operating in the State.

Meanwhile, it has been pointed out that the police department had alerted the police stations and also the banking sector, of major burglary attempts, following the Thrissur incidents. The Muttuchira bank robbery is the fifth in a series during the past six months in Kottayam and Idukki districts. The first was when four youngsters, all belonging to well-to-do families, attempted to rob the Catholic Syrian Bank branch at Chirakkadavu.

The manager was hacked with a sharp edged country made weapon. They could not decamp with the money due to the timely intervention of local people. All the four were nabbed.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail