Jewellery worth Rs 13 crore stolen from bank locker in Karnataka

DAVANAGERE: Thieves have struck the Nyamati town branch of State Bank of India (SBI) on Nehru Road and made away with jewellery worth Rs 13 crore. However, their bid to steal money were unsuccessful. Nyamati police believe the incident must have occurred two days ago. The theft came to light when the bank staff opened the premises on Monday morning.
The perpetrators entered the bank by cutting the rods on the right-side window. They later reached the locker and took away jewellery and the DVR of a CCTV. Police are scanning footages from CCTVs in the surrounding areas to track down the burglars. Fingerprint experts are assisting them with clues.
To mislead the sniffer dogs and evade arrest, the miscreants sprinkled chilli powder all over the bank. The stolen jewellery belongs to around 500 customers who have pledged them as a collateral to avail loans.
Davanagere SP Uma Prashanth said: "Prima facie, the burglars seem professionals. We have formed five teams to crack the case. The teams comprise CPIs, and 10 PSIs."
IGP (eastern range) B Ramesh has visited the crime scene.