26 bank lockers burlged, say police

Ghaziabad, June 13 (IANS) The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has told police that 26 lockers at its Modinagar branch have been burgled and the loss could total crores of rupees.The bank manager initially told the police on Monday -- when the burglary was discovered -- that 11 lockers had been broken.

He later said 26 of the total 30 lockers had been stripped of cash and other valuables. Four lockers were empty when the crime took place either on Saturday or Sunday when the bank was shut, Senior Superintendent of Police H.N. Singh said on Tuesday.The bank is located in the Modi Cloth Mills in Modinagar, a town in Ghaziabad district. The police found that the burglars entered the bank by first boring through the concrete wall. They then forced their way into the locker area.

The criminals apparently went about demolishing the wall by hiding in the dense brushes at the back of the bank, the police officer said."I visited the crime spot and found that the bank lacks security measures. If any attempt was made to intrude into the bank, a siren should have gone off. But the siren did not work," Singh said."The CCTV cameras were not found functional. There was no security guard either," he added.