Rs.1.4 million looted from a bank in Chennai

Chennai, Feb 20 (IANS) A four-member gang looted a large amount of cash from a suburban branch of the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) at gunpoint Monday afternoon, said police.

According to police, the gang came in a van and entered the bank posing as customers. They later held the customers and bank staff hostage at gunpoint and escaped with about Rs.1.4 million in cash.

The gang sped away in the same van in which it had come.

Senior police officials along with forensic experts and sniffer dogs visited the Keelakattali branch of the IOB where the hiest took place.

Speaking to reporters, Joint Commissioner of Police K.Shanmugarajeswaran said special teams have been formed to crack the case and nab the robbers.

According to police, the bank branch does not have closed circuit television cameras and the bank officials did not press the alarm button as they were held at gunpoint.

This is the second such bank robbery within a month. Around Rs.1.9 million were looted at gunpoint last month at a suburban branch of the Bank of Baroda located in Perungudi.

A special police team is investigating that case and is yet to get any breakthrough though portraits of the suspects were released.