The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A daring burglary has been committed in Dhanmondi branch of BRAC Bank Ltd at the city's Sukrabad area, breaking as many as 75 safe deposit lockers in its vault.

Police are suspecting that staff of the bank might have been involved in the heist.

Bank officials said a security guard found 75, out of 103 lockers of the vault broken when he entered the strong-room along with a customer

on Sunday morning. Of the looted lockers, 62 belonged to depositors.

He instantly informed the bank authority of the matter. The bankers later informed Mohammadpur police station about the heist.

DMP Commissioner Nayem Ahmed, high officials of different intelligence agencies, officer-in-charge of Mohammadpur police station and Deputy Commissioner of the Detective Branch of police rushed to the spot.

Surprisingly, the management of the private-sector bank run by the NGO-kingpin BRAC apprised some of the customers of the lockers of the break-in over phone yesterday (Monday), a day after the incident came to light. Even, the bank has no modern alarm system to alert about any unusual incident.

As the authorities also served a letter to the depositors, they rushed in to know about their valuables.

There was a commotion staged by the agitated depositors as the management refused to take responsibility for the stolen goods, citing Clause 8 of the terms and conditions of the bank. The clause states that the bank will not be responsible for missing valuables from the lockers due to theft, robbery and fire or any other reason.

However, the victims alleged that the bank did not impose such terms and conditions during the signing of the agreement.

One of the customers, businessman Giasuddin, said he had kept around 350 bhories of gold ornaments and a Rolex wristwatch in the rented strongbox.

Another customer, Farida Yasmin, kept wailing: "I'm undone-I had over 200 bhories in my locker."

However, the bank authority could not figure out the extent of the stolen treasures as many of the customers were yet to be informed about the matter.

Police suspected that the burglars might have got into the strong-room of the bank located on the 1st floor of a four-story building at Sobhanbag in the posh Dhanmondi residential area in-between Friday night and Saturday night as the bank remained closed at the weekend.

On the second and third floors of the building there is a residential hotel named Hotel Nidmahal.

Police said the thieves rented the Room No. 103 and 104 of the hotel, just atop the vault, and entered the bank digging the floor of the Room No. 103 with shovels and hammers in the darkness of night.

The hotel receptionist, Wasim, said one Abdus Salam and Jalal rented

a room on the third-floor of the hotel on December 1, 2007.

"They later shifted to the Room No. 103 and 104 recently and checked out this morning," said Wasim.

However, police arrested four employees of the hotel in connection with the bank-break.

A case was filed with the Mohammadpur Police Station.