A group of thieves drilled a two-foot-long hole into the wall of a Union Bank of India (UBI) branch in Surat. Reportedly, the incident occurred between the nights of Monday and Tuesday. The bank employees discovered the 'heist' on Tuesday morning. Thieves broke six lockers and stole cash, jewellery, and other valuable items worth over Rs 40 lakh. The robbery occurred at the Kim Crossroads branch of UBI.
What is missing from the locker?
Thieves had cut the cable to disable the CCTV cameras and damaged the alarms in the bank; hence, there was no buzz during the robbery. As per the police report, robbers were in the bank for around three hours and they shattered six lockers of the total 75 lockers. Among the six lockers, one locker belonged to an NRI and had a Lord Ganesha idol in it. Jewellery worth over Rs 40 lakh is missing from another locker. While three lockers were empty, the owner of one locker is out of town and missing contents from their lockers will be revealed upon their return.
Thieves suspected of using an electric cutter
It is speculated that the burglars used an electric cutter to drill a large hole into the locker. On Tuesday morning, slices of apple, cucumber, empty plastic case and glass were found on a sofa inside the bank. The incident is reported under Kosamba police station area and the police are investigating the CCTV footage from nearby roads to identify the suspects and find relevant clues.
Surat District Police Chief Hitesh Joysar told reporters that there was no security guard on the spot. Multiple teams are working on the case and a dog squad was also sent on the spot.
Robbers drilled wall of the adjacent office
To execute the robbery, thieves drilled a hole into the wall of a one-room office, which shares a common wall with the bank's back wall. The culprits broke into that office and then drilled a hole in the wall to access the bank.
