Robbery bid at Taraori bank raises security concerns

In a major security breach, unidentified miscreants tried to rob the Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch located in the new grain market area of Taraori by drilling a hole through its rear wall below its window. As per the initial reports, the miscreants entered the bank premises by breaking a section of the rear wall. The incident came to light on Monday morning when the bank employees noticed signs of forced entry on opening the branch.

Responding swiftly to the alert, the local police, along with a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), reached there and collected evidence and assessed the damage. The CCTV footage is also being reviewed.

“We received information about an attempted theft at the PNB’s Taraori branch at around 8 am, after which we along with a forensic expert visited the crime scene and collected evidence,” said SHO Nasib Singh.

Preliminary investigation suggests tampering with a passbook machine and the theft of a tablet device. Fortunately, no cash has been reported missing so far. The investigation is ongoing from all possible angles, he added.

The bank authorities are yet to release a detailed statement on the extent of the loss. Devender, a bank official, confirmed that a tablet was missing and said a complete audit was in progress. “We are assessing the situation and cooperating with the police. Further updates will follow once the audit is complete,” he said.

The investigation suggests that a high-level planning was done to execute the robbery.