Bank alarm averts another tunnel robbery in Haryana

The alert sounded by an alarm in the strong room of a bank in Haryana's Bhiwani town prevented another bank robbery through a tunnel, police said on Sunday.

The Haryana Police and bank officials, alerted by the alarm, reached the Bank of Baroda branch at Hansi Gate in time to prevent a heist planned by robbers who had dug a tunnel to the bank's strong room, a police official said.

The incident comes barely six months after robbers dug an 84-feet tunnel into the locker room of a Punjab National Bank branch in Gohana town of Sonipat district last November. The robbers broke into nearly 85 lockers and took away over 50 kg of gold and other jewellery and cash.

Police officials in Bhiwani town, 280 km from here, said the robbers escaped from the spot after the strong room alarm went off late Saturday night.

District police chief Rakesh Arya told media that investigations were on to identify those behind the planned robbery at the bank.