Imagine this. You’re in a bank and an unsupervised kid enters and exits the place quickly. What would you think? You’d either not notice the child or you’d think that he was lost. Right? Well, that isn’t always the case.
In a bizarre case of bank robbery, a 10-year-old boy stole Rs 10 lakh in just 30 seconds from a bank in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch district. The incident took place at a cooperative bank in broad daylight during peak hours and yet no customer or staff member noticed anything, reports TOI.
So, how did it all happen? According to CCTV footage that the police recovered, a minor child, dressed in rags, walked into the bank and hid under a cashier’s cubicle. However, customers standing in queue weren’t able to see him due to his short height, reports Pune Mirror.
The boy then swiftly dropped two wads of Rs 500 currency notes into a bag and marched out unnoticed in less than half-a-minute, reports Times Now. However, an alarm was raised when he reached the exit and began running. The bank security guard also started running behind him. However, the little boy wasn’t the mastermind behind the crime.
After scanning CCTV footage, the police found that the boy was being directed by a man in his 20s. The man, who was lingering inside the bank for around 30 minutes, signaled the minor, as soon as the cashier got up from his seat and moved to another room. The footage also shows that the man and boy ran in opposite directions as the bank security guard followed them.
Police have detained several suspects and they believe that the gang conducted a recce of the bank prior to the robbery. Neemuch SP Manoj Rai was quoted saying, “Several suspects have been detained. Some people who have roadside stalls in the area have been called in for questioning. The private security guard is also being interrogated.”
According to reports, the gang probably uses well-trained children, including girls, aged between 10 and 14 years for robberies. The kids apparently have excellent communication skills & are fluent in the English language. The reason behind using young children is that they won’t disclose the details of the gang members. And, also they can get away by serving at juvenile homes.
Even in today’s time, several children have been forced into begging or other criminal activities by predators. Well, it’s imperative that we have stricter laws to protect the young minds of our nation. What do you think? Tell us in the comments below.
Cover Image Source – Left