A day after a daring daylight bank heist at the Federal Bank branch in Pota, near Chalakudy, Thrissur, police are yet to make a breakthrough. The suspect was caught on CCTV arriving on a two-wheeler, wearing a helmet and a jacket, and carrying a shoulder bag. He brandished the knife at two staff members, forcing them into a cabin before smashing the glass panes of the cash counter with a chair. He then grabbed cash from the counter’s cash box and escaped. However, what has baffled investigators is that, according to the bank staff, Rs 45 lakh — stacked in nine bundles — was on the table, yet the robber took only three bundles. Police suspect this could have been a deliberate attempt to mislead investigators into believing he is from outside Kerala. State BJP president K. Surendran has criticized Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, calling the robbery another example of what he termed the \”collapse of law and order\” in Kerala.
