Daijiworld Media Network – Tumkur (SP)

Tumkur, Jun 27: Three miscreants, who entered the office of Manappuram Finance Company located near the new bus stand in Pavagada town in the district, succeeded in taking away about 15 kilograms of gold ornaments and around Rs 6 lac in cash. The incident occurred on Saturday June 25 night, and the policeman said that the robbery was elaborately pre-planned.

Reportedly, the three men, who arrived at around 9.30 pm, told the security personnel that they were
employees of Manappuram Security Service, and that they had been deputed to verify the security
arrangements at the office. Once inside, they tied up the watchman, and plastered his mouth before
proceeding with robbery. Before the robbery, they cut down the cables of the closed circuit cameras in the office, and took away the CPU, suspecting that their movements would have been recorded.

Gold and cash are kept in strong safe almirahs which have complicated locking systems, in banks
and financial institutions. They cannot be opened with duplicate keys unless they are made by the
manufacturers at the specific request of their owners. In this case, the robbers had no problem in opening the almirahs with duplicate keys.

The keys of the almirahs and lockers were said to be in the possession of the sub-manager of the office as per the set procedures. The customers who have pledged their ornaments in this office are a worried lot.

The modus operandi of the robbers gives clear indication that they knew the functioning of the finance
company well, and that they had come well-prepared.