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| Sunday, 6 June 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Lax in security, main cause of bank robberies by Jayampathy Jayasinghe Despite stringent measures adopted by banks to prevent robberies, a spate of such acts are reported time and again from banks in different parts of the country. Why do most banks fall prey to gang robbers these days? How come that robbers often get away with the loot without a shot being fired? According to police, many such robberies occur due to lax in security measures adopted by banks. Sources said that many banks have discontinued the practice of deploying armed security guards due to high costs involved and the reluctance of most banks to pay compensation to injured parties during a shootout. It is less costly for many banks to recover robbed loot including cash from insurance companies than pay huge sums as compensation arising from litigation. Recent robbery of a bank is a case in point where three robbers escaped with cash Rs 4.5 million without raising an alarm. What was surprising was that people in the supermarket adjacent to the bank had not even heard or seen a commotion while the incident had taken place. It was a sleek operation with meticulous planning without leaving room for any suspicion. The robbery took place previous Sunday at around 6.15 p.m. and it was indeed quite breathtaking. Three men pretending as customers boldly entered the bank and walked straight into the manager's cubicle. Thereafter, one of them pulled out a revolver, held it against the manager's head and demanded the cash in the safe. The acting manager fearing for his life, had opened the safe while the other two collected the cash in two bags. Later, they escaped, first in a three wheeler and then in a car. In fact, the robbers who spotted the Close Circuit Television Video placed on top of a cupboard in a conspicuous manner had quickly dismantled and removed it to prevent them being identified by the police. According to police, the bank had not even deployed a security guard to guard its premises. The police technical experts who visited the bank had noticed a finger print which would help them identify the robbers, a senior police officer said. Meanwhile DIG North Western Province, Padmasiri Liyanage and SSP Kelaniya Division, Jagath Abeysiriwardena have detailed several police teams under the guidance of ASP Priyantha Jayakody to track down the robbers. However, the police have not been able to make any arrests or recover the loot so far. Last week, robbers struck again - this time at the Standard Chartered Bank at Soysapura, Moratuwa where robbers escaped with Rs. 1.61 million after threatening to shoot the manager and its staff with T-56 weapons and pistols, in a white coloured van. Two teams have been detailed by HQI Mt. Lavinia to apprehend the robbers on the orders of SSP Mt. Lavinia. Once again, a woman manager of a petrol shed who had brought cash Rs. 5 lakhs to be deposited at the People's Bank at Kataragama was robbed by a man armed with a Galkatas who fled in a motorcycle with another person. The robbery took place around 1.00 p.m. last week. Earlier, the police top brass had proposed tough measures to prevent bank robberies, like setting up roadblocks near banks, deploying armed security officers and smoke screens at banks and providing police escort for cash transports etc. It was also suggested that bank managers have a closer rapport with the police in their respective areas for swift action if the necessity arose. Last year, several banks including the Matara Commercial Bank were robbed by two armed men who got away with Rs. 2.3 million after threatening the bank staff with a pistol. They had bundled the cash into a bag and escaped. In the same year, the Police arrested eight suspects including an engineer involved in the robbery of HongKong and Shanghai Banking Corporation at Talangama, where they got away with cash Rs. 5.6 million. The Grandpas police too are on the trail of robbers who had escaped with cash Rs, 100,000 and pawned gold jewellery after robbing the Grandpas Rural Bank. Five men posing off as customers had entered the bank and demanded the cash and gold jewellery from the woman manager at the point of a knife. |
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