A gang of unidentified robbers looted Friday a sum of Tk 19.5 million from a branch of Brac Bank Limited in Joypurhat district after breaking open its vault, police said.
They said the occurrence took place at Joypurhat SME Krishi Branch, housed on the first floor of the two-storied Shahjahan Plaza in the district town.
The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Joypurhat Sadar Police Station, Abdur Rashid, said the bank's employees found the vault broken and the money missing in the morning and informed the police.
"The closed circuit (CC) camera of the bank was also found disconnected," the police officer said adding that it might have been done by the robbers.
He said high law-enforcing agency officials including Joypurhat Additional Police Super Abdul Mannan and member of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have visited the spot and collected the necessary information from the witnesses.
"We also detained two on duty security guards of the bank and have been interrogating them," he said.
However, police could not arrest the robbers as yet.
"The gang might be well trained and planned earlier for the bank robbery as they cut the brick-made five-inch wall of the two-storied building so efficiently," the police officer said adding that for the robbery, the gang rented a room housed at Mousumi Market, located adjacent to bank building.
"To set up an NGO office, named Poor Development, the gang rented a room on September 11, 2014 that is housed at the same floor in the building beside the bank branch," the officer said.
He said the gang members also provided false information to the building owner to hide their identity.
When contacted, Head of Communications of the Brac Bank, Zeeshan Kingshuk Huq, told the FE that they have lodged the first information report (FIR) of the incident with the police station.
"Both the local administrations and the bank authorities have been investigating the occurrence," the official said adding that they will closely cooperate with the law enforcing agencies in this connection.
He, however, said customers' deposit will remain safe and the regular banking activities of the branch will be resumed fully from today (Sunday).
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