SHILLONG, MAY 2: In a daring bank heist, the Barapani (Umiam) branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) was robbed late on Thursday night but the robbers could rob only Rs 1.5 lakhs leaving behind Rs 69 lakhs 69 thousands as they could not open the safe where it was kept.
Ri Bhoi district SP CVS Reddy said that the bank robbery took place under the envelop of darkness when there was load shedding in Umiam area. Taking advantage of the darkness, the robbers executed their plan and broke open the bank.
Reddy said that the bank heist was a well thought out plan as the robbers came equipped with all the paraphernalia required to carry out the robbery.
It is learnt that around four robbers came in a vehicle with gas cylinder and gas cutter to execute the robbery. With the help of the cutter they ripped open the bottom cabin of the safe where Rs 1, 60, 000 lakhs was kept.
However there is a conflicting version as to why the robbers could not take away the major portion of the cash which was kept at the upper chamber of the safe.
While Reddy said that the robbers could not rip open the upper chamber, SBI source said that the money in the upper chamber got burn because of the heat when the robbers used the gas cutter to cut the lower chamber.
Reddy also said that the robbers had destroyed the CCTV. But he said that the police have got lead and soon will nab the bank robbers.
Interestingly, the SBI Barapani branch did not have any security guards at night. Reddy said, “The bank authority said that the branch was not making any profit rather it was a losing entity therefore the bank had security only during the day time and not at night.
The absence of security personnel at the bank especially during the night is quite surprisingly.
Reddy said that the police were informed about the robbery by the bank manager at around 7 am on Friday. – By Our Reporter
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