Banker Tried To Steal Rs 34 Crore From His Branch, Caught 3 Months Later

Mumbai:

Deliberate over practically one 12 months, reportedly with liberal inspiration from the globally hit Netflix present ‘Cash Heist’, a financial institution theft close to Mumbai has thrown up particulars no much less intriguing than a binge-watch-worthy net sequence.

The within job has been solved with the arrest of 5 folks and the restoration of Rs 12 crore from them, the police mentioned this week. That they had earlier discovered Rs 22 crore on the ICICI Financial institution department in Thane throughout their probe into the heist in July this 12 months.

Altaf Shaikh, 43, the primary accused within the case, has been arrested and Rs 9 crore was discovered from him, the police mentioned. He used to work as a custodian of the vaults on the financial institution and had plotted the flowery heist. His sister, recognized as Neelofer, has additionally been arrested, they mentioned.

“Shaikh, a resident of Mumbra, had been working with ICICI Financial institution as a custodian. Because the custodian, he was the caretaker of the financial institution’s locker keys. He spent a 12 months planning the heist, learning the loopholes within the system, and gathering instruments to tug it off,” a police officer on the Manpada Police Station mentioned.

In the course of the probe, police discovered that Shaikh deliberate your entire heist by widening the AC duct to sneak out the money into the rubbish chute and tampering with the CCTV footage, he added.

“After deactivating the alarm system and sabotaging the CCTV, Shaikh had opened the financial institution vault and transferred the money to the duct and under to the chute. The incident got here to mild after the financial institution realised that the safety cash was lacking, as had been the DVR of CCTVs, which prompted its personnel to name the inspection workforce,” the official mentioned.

With technicians informing authorities that the footage was saved on-line as properly and realising his plan was falling aside, Shaikh fled the scene with round Rs 12 crore. The remaining Rs 22 crore was found beneath a tarp on the financial institution.

He spent the following three months on the run, altering his seems to be and utilizing a burqa to cover his identification. Shaikh’s sister Neelofer, who was conscious of his motion, hid some money in her dwelling. She has been charged as co-accused within the case and arrested, the police mentioned. Shaikh was lastly arrested from Pune on Monday.