Date:16/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/07/16/stories/2008071650040100.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Armed robbers loot 15 lakh from bank

Staff Reporter

Cause bleeding head injuries to woman employee who resists them

— Photo: C. V. Subrahmanyam

Smelling crime: A sniffer dog tracking the route taken by the robbers after looting the SBI branch in Vizag on Tuesday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: In a major daylight heist, five armed robbers looted Rs.15 lakh from a bank here on Tuesday. They caused bleeding head injuries to a woman employee who resisted them.

The robbers walked into the State Bank of India, Visalakshinagar branch, around 10.05 a.m. along with some customers. There were six customers and three staff members. Binod Kumar, manager, and Manga Devi, head cashier, had just gone to the strong room to take out cash when one robber followed them. When Ms.Devi refused to part with the keys he hit her and snatched them.

Counters searched

Another robber made the customers squat, while a third one searched the counters for cash. “They pulled me by the collar and forced me to sit at gun point. Women customers wearing ornaments quickly concealed them. The robbers were tall, fair and conversed in Hindi,” said M. Raju, a customer.

“One robber who entered the strong room seemed to have hit madam (Ms.Devi) as we could hear her screams. Two robbers stood guard at the entrance,” he said.

Although the branch is adjacent to the National Highway-5 it is difficult for passing motorists to know what is happening inside. Ironically, it neither has a security guard nor CCTV. “They snatched 500-rupee notes I was holding, but luckily they didn’t touch my pocket,” said a customer M. Surya Rao.

“Four robbers had firearms and one held a knife. They looted Rs.15 lakh from the safe. They injured Ms. Devi on the head. They were all speaking Hindi,” Police Commissioner N. Sambasiva Rao told the media. “I was informed by Assistant General Manager Vijay Kumar and rushed to the branch by 10.30 a.m. The robbers seem to have finished their task in 15 minutes and left,” he said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (L&O) K.V.V. Gopala Rao, Additional DCP P. Rama Rao, ACPs Konda Reddy and Y. Prem Babu and CI Ch. Vivekananda visited the branch.

Clues Team in-charge V. Hanumantha Rao, scientific assistant Janardhan Rao and their teams scanned the safe and other articles for evidence. Sniffer dogs walked up to the nearby petrol bunk and returned.