Navi Mumbai bank heist: Thieves walk out of bank with bags full of loot

The robbers who burrowed into Bank of Baroda's Juinagar branch to steal valuables worth Rs 2.85 crore were smooth criminals after all, CCTV footage has revealed. The Navi Mumbai police have developed the footage outside the shop used by the thieves to make a tunnel into the bank for the robbery. It shows the suspects making a nonchalant exit after the mega heist. The incident was reported on Monday morning after the bank manager found the locker room broken. The CCTV footage starts around 6.50 am on Sunday outside the bank and shows three people, with their faces covered, coming out of the shop with bags within minutes of each other.

One by one, the three men are seen leaving the premises, soon after the suspected time of the theft

What's in the bag?
An official from the Navi Mumbai police said, "In the CCTV, a person wearing black shirt and jeans is seen coming out from the shop, hiding his face and carrying a big, white plastic bag. The bag was mostly used to fill debris, but it remains unclear what was actually inside it. The man then hid behind a car and began searching the bag for something."

"Then, another person, clad in a pink shirt and jeans emerged with two black handbags, going in another direction. He entered the shop again with his back towards the CCTV. Then, taking a plastic bag full of debris, he left the shop. In the end, a third man in blue track pants and a red jacket, come out covering his face and hides behind the cars parked out front. Using a narrow way, he then flees," said an official from Navi Mumbai police. The CCTV footage shows the accused were aware of the camera and were hiding their face to escape identification.

Debris dumped
"The accused were gathering the debris in small quantities and dumping them in a nearby nullah, instead of keeping them inside the shop after creating the tunnel to the bank. We have found the debris in the nullah and are accordingly investigating them. The accused are suspected to be from Jharkhand and are experts in such tunnel-making processes," added the official. A total of 30 bank lockers were broken into, and gold, silver, diamond valuables and cash worth Rs 2.85 crore were stolen. "We have formed ten teams. The CCTV footage is being scanned to trace the accused with the help of sources," said S Pathare, deputy commissioner of police, Vashi.

Also read: Navi Mumbai bank heist planned five months back: Police

Good knowledge
The Navi Mumbai crime branch is conducting a parallel investigation into the case. Pictures of the tunnel supposedly created by the robbers have gone viral across the state on social networking sites raising questions about the safety of bank lockers. "We suspect the accused had good knowledge about the way from the shop to the bank lockers, as they made a route to directly connect the two. They also knew there was no drainage line or wires along the route. They picked Saturday and Sunday to commit the crime since the bank is closed that day, making it the best time for them to execute the robbery and flee from the city," added an official.

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