Two days after the bank robbery by an armed man in Dhaka, police are yet to find any lead or make any arrest.
On Monday, the Premier Bank’s Badda Link Road branch was robbed off by Tk 2.3 million.
Bank officials claimed the robber held the staff at gunpoint using a pistol to rob the bank.
The robber took away the digital video recorder (DVR) of the CCTV cameras at the bank while making off with the money, according to the case details.
Police, however, find the whole incident rather unusual and looking in to the possibility of whether the armed man was somehow abetted by insiders.
“It’s a bit suspicious that one man managed to pull off the whole thing. Then, there are no security footages as well not a single customer or client was in the bank during the incident,” said Detective Branch Deputy Commission Mashiur Rahman.
The news was revealed on Tuesday, a day after the robbery, when a case was started with the Badda police by Premier Bank’s General Services Division Senior Officer Rahat Alam.
Alam, however, declined to provide details. “The higher officials can say better. I have just filed a case upon instruction.
Sources in police said six bank officials and a security guard were in the bank when the robbery took place. Investigators are sceptical as to how multiple people failed to stop a single man or the security guard’s role during the robbery. They are also looking into the possibility of an insider’s involvement.
Bank officials claimed the armed man entered the bank around 4pm and went straight to the manager’s office to hold him at gunpoint. He then forced the staff to enter the vault before making off with the money from the cash counter.
An official familiar with the investigation says they find the account suspicious.
“It’s rather surprising that a man robbed Tk 2.3 million from a bank in a Hollywood-style heist. These types of things need long-planning. It’s a daring attempt, because banks have armed guards. Moreover, banks usually close their entrance for customers before the transaction hour end at 4pm,” he told Bangla Tribune.
But making sure to wipe off evidences, like taking the DVR for security footages, is suspicious, he said before adding: “It takes time to remove the DVR and it’s unusual that someone would take that risk after robbery.”
According to him, there’s a possibility that someone from the bank or the security service providers may have been involved.
Investigators said they have obtained footages from CCTV cameras in nearby buildings and going through those to identify the robber.
“No arrests have been made. The security guard has been brought in for questioning,” said Sub Inspector Abu Hanif of Badda police, who is in charge of the investigation.