JAIPUR: All eight CCTV cameras at the Central Bank of India’s Chomu House were dysfunctional for a very long time, said city police which was taken back at the serious security lapses following the heist of Rs 15 lakh from the bank’s vault room on Tuesday morning.
Additional commissioner of police (Crime) Ajay Pal Lamba said that the police will take strict action against bank officials and the agency responsible for the maintenance of security systems.
“We had repeatedly issued directions to banks to abide with security norms that include proper CCTVs and a mandatory saved recording of 15 days,” Lambas said.
DCP (South Jaipur) Mridul Kachawa told TOI that the bank’s eight CCTVs had not been working properly since January 26. “Besides CCTVs, we discovered that alarm systems were also defunct,” he said.
Shockingly, the branch did not have any security guards despite there being an adjoining ATM kiosk outside the bank. “It is true that there was no security guard posted at the bank,” Kachawa confirmed.
The police officials said that such lapses can often impede the investigation’s progress. ‘We have eight teams working on the case right now. We are hopeful of cracking it soon because we have discovered some important clues,” Kachawa told TOI.
While Kachawa said that the police have found some important evidence, the spotty security measures at important bank branches have again raised security concerns at important financial institutions despite similar heists in the past.
As per the officials, the security measures did not appear to be in tandem with protocols issued by the city police for establishments like banks, financial institutes where high-volume cash is stored, and jewellery stores.
The special teams had to visit nearby houses and a hotel in search of some CCTV garb that could shed light on the direction in which the accused had fled. Luckily for one team, a CCTV was recovered that showed the suspects fleeing on their two-wheeler getaway vehicle.
