Kerala bank heist: Thief planned the robbery well but acted 'unprofessionally'; cops widen probe

Chalakudy: A special team has been assigned to investigate the Federal Bank robbery in Chalakudy Potta, with Chalakudy DySP K Sumesh leading the probe. The incident occurred on Friday during lunchtime when a thief stormed into the Potta branch of Federal Bank in Chalakudy, Thrissur. The cash counter held ₹47 lakh, but the suspect fled with only three bundles, amounting to ₹15 lakh. The search for the suspect has been intensified and expanded beyond the district. 

The police have issued a high alert across toll plazas and neighbouring districts. Investigators have so far traced the accused to the Angamaly area, but his whereabouts remain unknown. The vehicle used in the crime has also not been recovered. Police are not ruling out the possibility that he may have fled the state, prompting them to widen the search to other regions.

Authorities are also examining whether the suspect escaped by train after reaching Angamaly. However, searches in Aluva and Perumbavoor have yielded no leads. Investigators suspect the robber may have had assistance, as executing such a crime alone would have been difficult. The possibility of a larger conspiracy is also under scrutiny. 

Chalakudy MLA T. J. Saneesh Kumar, Municipal Chairman Shibu Valappan, district panchayat member Leela Subramanian and other public representatives visited the bank following the incident.

Police suspect premeditated heist, but execution raises doubts

Investigators believe the thief was well-prepared and had studied the bank’s operations before carrying out the crime. They suspect he was aware that the branch lacked security guards and had planned his entry accordingly.

He reportedly spoke in Hindi while demanding the key, raising suspicions that he may have done so to mislead investigators. Police are also verifying whether the scooter he used was stolen or registered under a different name. Key clues regarding the vehicle have already been gathered, and it is suspected that he used a pocket-road to escape onto the main highway.

Since the thief wore gloves, retrieving fingerprints is unlikely. Despite being caught on CCTV, he remains unidentified due to the helmet covering his face. Surveillance cameras inside and outside the bank recorded his movements, and police have shared the footage with law enforcement in neighbouring states.

The bank is located on the old national highway, directly opposite Potta Cherupushpam Church, about 150 metres from the new national highway. The area was relatively deserted at the time of the robbery, as it took place during the bank’s lunch break from 2:00 to 2:30 pm. The thief entered at precisely 2:12 pm, parking his scooter behind a car in front of the bank. With no security guards on duty and one employee out for lunch, only four staff members were inside when he struck. 

Security concerns at banks

The daylight robbery has sparked fresh concerns over bank security. Employees pointed out that such incidents could happen anywhere due to the lack of physical security personnel. Most banks now rely solely on electronic surveillance systems like CCTV, which can only record crimes but do little to prevent them.

In the past, public sector banks had armed security personnel. Whereas private sector banks had security personnel. However, many of these positions were removed due to cost-cutting measures and the introduction of electronic security. Senior officials often prioritise CCTV systems over deploying guards, but employees argue that the Potta incident has highlighted the vulnerabilities of this approach.

Bank staff also noted that during such attacks, employees often panic and are unable to resist. The same occurred at the Chalakudy branch, where the thief managed to rob ₹15 lakh using nothing more than a knife.

Typically, gangs involved in bank and ATM robberies come equipped with sophisticated tools. In an ATM heist in Thrissur a few months ago, robbers used gas cutters to break into three machines. In contrast, this thief executed the robbery with a knife, making a mockery of the security system.