No Alarm, Cash And Jewellery Gone: Thieves Drill Into Surat Bank Locker Room

A group of thieves drilled a large hole into a wall of an Union Bank of India (UBI) branch in Surat, broke six lockers and stole cash, jewellery and other valuable items worth lakhs of rupees - a heist that was carried out without setting off any alarm and has left police scrambling for clues.

The robbery at Kim Crossroads took place in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, and was discovered by the banking staff on Tuesday morning. Slices of apple, cucumbers, an empty plastic case and a glass were found lying on a sofa inside the bank.

A few reports suggested that an electric cutter - suspected to have been used to break the lockers - were also found at the spot. 

According to the police, the thieves entered the locker room by making a two-foot hole in a wall. To minimise the risk of getting caught, they cut cables to disable surveillance cameras and destroyed the bank's alarm.

The group then broke into six of the over 70 lockers, laid their hands on the valuables - which primarily comprised cash and jewellery - and then fled the scene, police said. The amount of valuables stolen could not be immediately ascertained.

Police are now examining CCTV footage from nearby roads to find clues.

"The incident took place under Kosamba police station area. A dog squad and several other teams are on the spot. There was no security guard on the spot. We are checking CCTVs that are installed near the bank. A probe is underway," Surat District Police Chief Hitesh Joysar said.

(With inputs from Mahendra Prasad)