Dacoits loot bank in Bagdogra

A gang of dacoits raided the Bagdogra branch of a nationalised bank and decamped with a huge amount of cash and jewellery in the wee hours on Thursday. The police are yet to arrest anyone in this connection. This comes a day after the incident of dacoity in ATMs at Sinthee in the North Kolkata from where Rs 33.82 lakh was looted. A police officer said that the preliminary investigation 

revealed that the accused had somehow managed to break open the gate and enter the bank at the dead of the night.

The dacoits first disconnected the surveillance cameras installed both inside and outside the bank premises. They used gas cutter to cut open 16 lockers in the bank and looted the valuables. Police learnt that there are total 90 lockers in the bank. But the accused had managed to break open only 19 while the rest remained untouched.

Besides damaging the surveillance cameras, the miscreants also ransacked the vault in the bank, furniture and the electric alarm. Before moving out they had strewn all valuables on the floor of the bank. They had not even left a water filter and clocks on the walls intact.

Samples for finger print tests were also being collected from the spot. The dog squad of the police was also taken but it was of no help. Forensic experts had visited the spot and collected samples. A police officer said: “We are speaking to the experts to know that why the miscreants damaged even minor things in the bank. Such aspects sometimes help us to ascertain the gang behind the crime.”

Manoj Verma, Commissioner of Siliguri police Commissionerate, visited the spot.

People who have accounts in the bank went to the spot and raised allegations of poor security arrangement in the bank. They claimed that recently some officials of the bank were transferred and the lackadaisical attitude of the newly posted officers resulted to the incident.