One lakh gone in one minute

Despite CCTV cameras and security guards, thief steals Rs 1 lakh from businessman in bank; police say cases of theft near banks up

One lakh gone in one minute

Despite CCTV cameras and security guards, thief steals Rs 1 lakh from businessman in bank; police say cases of theft near banks up

Thieves targeting victims with large amounts of cash are now doing so with a new weapon torn notes. Nasir Hussain, a city-based businessman learnt this the hard way, Hussain, who owns an interior decoration firm, had withdrawn Rs 3.75 lakh at ICICI Bank's Banaswadi branch on Saturday. A few minutes later, a young man in his late 20s, told Hussain that he had got torn notes from the bank and Hussain should check his bundle and ensure he too has not got torn notes.

When Hussain turned back to count his cash, he noticed that Rs 1 lakh was missing.

"He immediately informed the cashier to check for any error in remittance. When no error was found, Hussain and the bank staff remembered the young man. He was however long gone," said Sakri, inspector, Banaswadi police station, who is investigating the case.u00a0

"They fled so fast that no one even realised what was happening," recalled Hussain.

The Banasawadi police said the images from the bank's CCTV footage were blurred, but the footage proved that the bank staff were not responsible for this theft.

Rs 50,000 stolen
On the same day, J Suresh Kannan, who owns a digital lab, lost Rs 50,000 he had kept in his scooter. He was on his way to HDFC Bank to deposit the cash, when he stopped his bike to have tea at the roadside tea stall.
"I had locked my bike, but when I returned, I noticed that the dickey was open and the cash bag was missing," said Kannan.

Rise in thefts
Police sources said cases of theft near banks have been on the rise in the past two months. Taking cognisance of this, joint commissioner of police (Crime) Alok Kumar said,u00a0 "All banks and commercial establishments have been asked to upgrade their security, inform the staff to keep an eye on such elements and compulsorily install CCTV cameras."