News

London bound bank-robber family had inside help

3.6m cash, 27 kilos gold heist from People’s Bank was to finance family’s migration to Blighty
By Damith Wickremasekara

A family’s well laid plan to rob a bank and migrate to Britain, came to a disastrous end for it, when one of the bank employees, aiding and abetting the crime, made contradictory statements to the police.
They carried out the robbery as planned at the Puttur People’s Bank in Batticaloa town and got away with Rs. 3.6 million in cash and 27 kilos of gold, but were soon busted by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

According to police, the robbery had been planned by a family member who had already migrated to Britain, and wanting to get the rest of the family members across to London, sent the plan to his two younger brothers.

Pictures provided by the Police media of some of the gold heist and above the van that was used in the robbery

The plan was to put up a garage opposite the bank, in order to monitor the movements of the bank employees. Accordingly, they put up a garage six months ago, and monitored the movements of the staff and the bank’s security arrangements.

They were able to obtain more information from a peon in the Bank, who advised them to get two uniforms similar to that worn by the security officers who transport cash, and canvas bags similar to those carried by the staff to collect cash.

He also instructed them to prepare a sticker to be displayed on the vehicle, to avoid suspicion, The would-be robbers sought the assistance of another friend to carry out the operations. They had detailed information from within the bank of movements of the staff, and were told that the bank did not have CCTV cameras or an alarm system.

Armed with this information, they hired a vehicle and set out on the mission. Posing off as bank staff, they stormed the bank at closing time, grabbed a security guard’s weapon, and then broke another security guard’s weapon.

Once inside the bank, they knew the exact locations of the gold items and the cash, and hence were able to collect them quickly. Soon after the robbery, the two brothers handed over the money to their parents and dispatched them to Colombo, so that they could pawn the gold jewellery to shops in Sea Street, without rousing suspicion. The couple was assisted by a former female LTTE cadre.

Following the peon’s arrest and questioning, police were able to track down the female suspect in Wennappuwa, followed by the parents hiding in Colombo. Meanwhile, the two sons were trying to make a hasty escape by boat to India, and had already arrived in Mannar. They were arrested on Thursday night by the Navy, while waiting to escape.

A part of the money had already been dispatched to London. A part of the gold stolen has been recovered. The suspects have been placed under detention orders pending investigations.

Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
 
Other News Articles
US delivers demarche: Refer LLRC report to UNHRC
Humanitarian operation: Defence Ministry report tomorrow
Norway killer for Muslims’ eviction from Sri Lanka
Army thwarts Pillayan’s bid to free bank robbery suspect
President orders review of GF project
Uthayan news editor brutally attacked
Developed nations may adopt protectionist policies
Indian company rigged to drill Mannar basin free of taxes
KDU to explore post-conflict development challenges
Oral submissions by Prosecution on Sep. 9
Lanka seeks urgent meeting with Indian Minister on fishing dispute
Ranil links Lanka’s demand with South Sudan’s C’wealth entry
‘The people of the north and east have spoken, now the govt. must listen’
Lanka to get WiFi zones
Sigiriya frescoes threatened by construction work, warns activist
Creating a Rwanda for Rwandese
Now, Sinharaja under ‘road-threat’
Villagers block junction demanding solution to Human-Elephant Conflict
Ex-DIG Traffic warns cops against misleading signals to motorists
London bound bank-robber family had inside help
UGC dissolves SE Uni Council two months before expiry
Teledramas should not disrupt studies, says President
Kap ceremony to launch Kandy perahera
Missing NGO worker’s body found in partly built house
7-year search for missing Lieutenant ends in cemetery
High rejected votes due to lack of voter education: monitors
Kumari’s selfless courage, guides her visually impaired family to success
MIRACLE or CORRUPTION: More palmyrah plants on Kalpitiya highway
Veggies and faecal matter at the Dambulla Market
Order for clean lunch boxes
CBK’s morning after thoughts
Lesson from Bangladesh: Electoral system begs a change

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 1996 - 2011 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved | Site best viewed in IE ver 8.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution