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A vaulting crime
 During the night of September
4, a gang broke into the Primary Agricultural Co-operative Bank at
Tiruchitrambalam on the Pondicherry-Tindivanam Main Road and decamped with Rs 60
lakh worth of gold jewels and Rs 41,000 in cash.
The most remarkable thing about
the whole crime was that the looters carried away the safety vault of the bank
along with the cash and jewels.
The criminals gained entry into
the bank by making a hole on the wall that was about 2 ft in height and width.
The modus operandi points to
Korava criminals hailing from Villupuram and Cuddalore district who have a habit
of breaking in like this. Police history reveals that Korava criminals from the
northern part of Tamil Nadu are experts in making this kind of a hole to commit
crimes. On several occasions they have targeted many jewellery and pawnbroker
shops by making such holes.
Moreover, the Korava criminals
also have the habit of physically taking away the steel bureau or safety vault.
In an incident at a pawnbroker shop in Selaiyur, Chengalpattu district, they had
taken out the safety vault from the shop and broke it open at a ground 100
metres from the shop.
But in the case of this bank,
they had taken away the safety vault with them. The reason could be that they
could not break it open because of its strong locking system. They would have
taken it to a place where they could use a welding machine to cut open he vault.
At least four persons must have
been involved in the operation to carry the vault which weighed several kgs.
They would have also brought a vehicle to carry the thing. The vehicle could
have been a motor-fitted tricycle as Koravas do not normally use other types of
vehicles.
In recent months, many crimes
have been committed in banks in Chengalpattu East and Chennai city. Many
nationalised banks like Allahabad Bank and Oriental Bank have been the target of
criminals. But in all these crimes in banks, the criminals could only enter the
premises but could not lay their hands on any valuables as these banks have
effective alarm systems and powerful safety vaults.
It is astounding to find that a
state government bank has such a weak security system. Even the alarm system of
the bank was not working and, worse, there was not even a night watchman to
raise an alarm!
 Last year, a gang of robbers
struck at the State Bank of India, Sastri Nagar, Chennai, with guns and killed a
bank official. The police were stumped and could not get the culprits for more
than a year. The crime was said to have been solved recently.
Most of the nationalised banks
pursue a shrewd security system in the form of an effective burglar alarm and a
powerful locking system. In many cases, the criminals have made Herculean
efforts to break the vault open and failed.
So, all banks should follow the
system of the nationalised banks. They should also employ night watchmen on
their premises. All entry points should be sealed off with powerful locks.
Banks should also take note of
the modus operandi of some gangs. In many cases, criminals enter a bank by
pushing the A/C machine into the room and entering through the hole easily. It
is important for all bank A/Cs to have quality grills.
The jewels and cash deposited
in banks belong to depositors who have to work hard to earn them. Crimes in
banks create fear in the minds of these depositors and it is the bounden duty of
the banks to allay their apprehensions by taking adequate security measures.
The crime at the Villupuram
Cooperative bank should be an eye-opener to all other banks.
Harvey
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