Chandigarh: Robbers tunnelled 100 feet under a street to break into the main branch of Punjab National Bank in Gohana town of Sonipat district and rob jewellery and cash. A special investigation team (SIT) has been set up to probe the robbery. The bank is located in a residential cum commercial area, near Old Bus Stand of Gohana city.
The daring robbery came to light when bank manager Devender Malik opened the strong room. He found the cupboards in the strongroom broken open and Rs 4000,000 cash missing. Apart from this, 88 out of 360 lockers had been prised open and their contents like jewellery and cash missing. Sources say loss could run into millions of rupees.
The house from where the robbers started digging the tunnel is unoccupied as it is a disputed property. The robbers seem to have been digging for some days as the tunnel was 2.5 foot in circumference. Tools and earth dumped in the vacant house indicate that the burglars knew the exact location of the strong room and lockers in the bank.
Preliminary investigations also suggest that the culprits chose Sunday to strike when the area is deserted.
Unlike other places where strongrooms and locker rooms have at least one feet of concrete covered with thick iron sheet, this one had an ordinary floor which was easily punctured by the burglars. We have constituted teams to crack the case at the earliest,'' said Sonipat SP Arun Nehra.
Bank officials have asked the clients whose lockers were broken open to provide details of their contents.