Robbery in 3 minutes: Man threatens bank staff with knife, flees with Rs 15 lakh in Kerala | Kochi News

THRISSUR: In a shocking daylight robbery, a helmet-clad man stole Rs 15 lakh from the Federal Bank‘s Potta branch here on Friday afternoon after threatening bank staff at knifepoint. Police have launched a massive manhunt for the robber, while Thrissur Rural SP Krishnakumar said they had received strong hints about him.
The robber, who arrived on a scooter, reportedly entered the bank, located on a pocket road of National Highway 544, around 2pm. Although his images were captured on the bank’s CCTV, identifying him would be a challenge for police as he was wearing a helmet and a mask.
Preliminary reports indicate that only the manager, cashier and a peon were present in the bank at the time of the heist, as it was lunch hour. The bank did not have security staff, the SP said.
Suspect appeared to be familiar with bank operations
The robber allegedly locked the three staff members in the washroom after threatening them with a knife. He blocked the washroom door by wedging a chair’s legs into the handle. He then smashed the cash counter with another chair and quickly fled with Rs 15 lakh in cash. Bundles of Rs 500 notes, totalling Rs 47 lakh, were stacked in the cash room.
After grabbing the money, he immediately exited the bank and escaped on the scooter. The entire operation lasted only around 2 to 3 minutes, the SP said.
The suspect appeared to be familiar with the bank’s operations. Although only one person entered the bank, police are not ruling out the possibility of additional accomplices. He was speaking in Hindi, but this does not necessarily mean he was from a North Indian state, Krishnakumar said.
Police are conducting combing operations at multiple locations, including state borders and railway sta- tions. The SP said police had gathered some inputs on the scooter used by the robber and his escape route. Thrissur Range DIG Harisankar said the SP has constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case. Forensic and fingerprint experts are assisting police in the investigation.
In the early hours of Sept 27 last year, a Haryana-based gang looted three SBI ATMs — located in Mapranam, Shornur Road in Thrissur city and Kolazhy — making away with approximately Rs 68 lakh.
The gang, which arrived in a car, fled in a container truck, transporting the car by loading it in the container. They were intercepted at Namakkal in Tamil Nadu by police before noon that day. One of the gang members was gunned down by TN police, while the remaining six were arrested.