Sketches of Ghaziabad bank robbery suspects released

Ghaziabad, Dec 18 (IANS) A day after robbers looted over Rs.3 million from an ICICI Bank branch here, the police Thursday released sketches of three suspects involved in the heist and claimed to have identified the fourth accused.

'We are working on the case and have informed Delhi Police about probable identities (of the robbers),' said Ghaziabad district police chief L. Ravi Kumar.

'We are also in touch with the bank officials and are gathering vital clues.'

Kumar said the robbers took away Rs. 3.16 million from the bank branch at Kaushambi.

'One person has been identified. The sketches of other three have been released,' the police officer said.

The police said despite all counters having individual alarm systems, nobody bothered to press the alarm bells to call the police. 'Had the officials raised alarm, we would have zeroed in on the bank there and then,' a police constable in the Kaushambi area said.

But Sandeep Mehta, the regional head of the bank, said the police arrived about 15 minutes after the robbery. 'There was no police patrol nearby when the incident happened. Even after raising the alarm, the police reached late.'

On Wednesday about 6.40 p.m., four robbers entered the branch premises while the two guards were inside the branch. Two robbers, reportedly unmasked, held 10 staff-members and around 12 customers hostage on a gun-point. The two others then took away the cash from a counter.

The robbers also snatched away the gun of a private security guard of the bank. They also took away a computer with them.