Burglars break into bank but fail to open treasury box

NAVI MUMBAI: I t has been a month of bad luck for two robbers. Early on May 4, the duo broke into New Satara District Citizens Cooperative Credit Society in

Panvel

, but had to return empty-handed as they could not open the treasury box made of iron. And now, they have been arrested for the heist that did not take place.

The robbers-Rizwan

Khan

(26) and Mumtaz Shaikh (21)-had also tried to take away the 5-ft tall box but could barely move it as it weighed more than 200kg. The tools used by the two to open the box-iron tommy, screwdrivers and even a master key-have been recovered by the

Panvel City

police.

Following the break-in, when a police complaint was lodged, cops obtained the dump data of cellphones present in the area in the early hours of May 4. Out of the hundreds of mobile numbers present in the area, the police zeroed in on that of the two accused as they are history-sheeters. The cops then traced them to their houses in

Mumbra

and arrested them last Wednesday from the locality.

Sub-inspector Sunil Tarmale said, "The duo broke the bank's shutter and the inside safety grille lock around 3am. The act has been captured on a CCTV camera at the bank. One of them was wearing a hooded black mask and the other had covered his face with a handkerchief. The footage shows them attempting to break open the iron treasury using the tools for more than 30 minutes. As they fail, they can be seen trying to lift the box but it does not move even an inch as it weighs more than 200kg."

They then rummaged through the bank premises and returned empty-handed. There was huge cash in the treasury. We have recovered the hooded mask."

He said, "Khan and Shaikh were arrested twice in the past by Daighar police in Thane for break-in, theft and robbery. They were released from Thane jail in December 2017 after serving their sentence. They had also broken into the office of

United India Insurance Company Ltd

at Tapaal Naka in Panvel and decamped with Rs 55,290 cash in January."

The accused was sent to police custody till May 19 (Saturday) in the bank case. Thereafter, they were arrested in the January case and sent to police custody till Thursday.