Bank loses Rs 10 lakh in another Panchkula robbery,SP says meri to kismat hi kharab hai

Two youngsters,reportedly in their mid-20s,reached the State Bank of Patiala’s Sector 15 branch around 3 pm and parked their bike in the lane behind the bank. Both were carrying pistols,according to Hardayal Singh,the guard deployed at the bank’s entrance. One of the robbers pointed a pistol at an unarmed Hardayal,asking him to hand over the bag he was holding. The bag contained Rs 10 lakh in cash,which was meant for the bank’s ATM. A panicked Hardayal gave the bag to the two who were out of everybody’s reach within minutes. While bank employees immediately pressed the alarm buttons,police reached after around 15 minutes.

In his statement to the police,Hardayal said though he chased the two,they sat on their bike and escaped. “The bike did not have a registration number,” he added.

Preliminary investigations by the police indicate that the accused might have done a recce of the area before the strike.

Only four employees — Vinod Kataria (cashier),Devi Dayal Kondal (assistant manager),Hardayal and a peon — were present in the bank at the time of the incident. Branch manager Vandana Singal had gone home for lunch. “I was on my way back when I heard about the robbery,” she said.

The bank does not have closed-circuit television cameras. Bank’s assistant general manager (Haryana Zone) V K Gupta said: “A branch is provided with an armed guard if the cash with the bank at the end of the day is around Rs 10 lakh and above,but this branch has a limit of Rs 5 lakh only. The wiring for the CCTV cameras is already done and we were just waiting for them to be installed in another day or two. The cash robbed is around Rs 10 lakh but the exact amount with the denominations will be quantified after an examination.”