NEW DELHI, Aug 13: Thirty-two kilogrammes of gold, worth over Rs 16 crores, was looted from a bank in Chennai on Saturday evening. Three men wearing masks locked the employees in a toilet before they robbed the FedBank Gold Loan in the city’s Arumbakkam area.
“They took the keys of the strong room and locked the employees in a toilet and escaped with the gold in carry bags. According to the branch, 32 kg gold was stolen,” Police Commissioner Shankar Jeewal said.
The robbery was suspected to be an inside job, said police. “One of them is suspected to be a present employee of the branch,” TS Anbu, Joint Commissioner of Police, said. The senior police officer said “The inventory is being taken. Only after completion we would have the exact figure.”
A security guard who claimed to be attached to the gold loan office had reportedly told the police that he “turned unconscious after I consumed the soft drink they offered me.” “All are fine now. No employee is unconscious. Since one of them was an employee, the guard didn’t suspect anything,” a police officer added.
The branch was closed on Saturday and only a few were present for some accounts work. The police have formed special teams to catch the culprits.
(Manas Dasgupta)