The staircase to LIC office in Hazaribagh. Pix: Vishvendu Jaipuriar

Hazaribagh, June 1: Some persons broke into the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) office in the small hours today and decamped with an iron chest weighing more than 30kg and containing more than Rs 8 lakh in cash and cheques worth Rs 2.73 lakh.

Sources said the office was targeted keeping in mind the monthly closing of LIC.

Police officials, who reached the spot after the incident, said the robbers broke open the grill gate and then the wooden door locks to reach the iron chest. The police are still clueless about how they managed to runaway with the heavy chest.

LIC officials confirmed that the chest had Rs 8,26,258.50 in cash and cheques worth Rs 2,73,249. They said Thursday being the last day of the month, the office was open till late evening and the cash and cheques received were kept in the chest.

The modus operandi suggested that the criminals were keeping an eye on the office proceedings from Thursday evening and finished their operation quickly to avoid any risk. The police said they had started their investigation and trying to find the culprits.

What is more alarming is that the LIC office is situated very close to top police and administrative offices — in fact, at a stone’s throw away from the office of commissioner (North Chhotanagpur), deputy inspector-general and district collectorate. The district collectorate includes the offices of deputy commissioner, superintendent of police and all other district and police officials.

Residents, however, pointed their finger at the inefficiency of the police in curbing the increasing number of crimes in the city. They accused the police of closing most of the cases half-way, resulting in the increase of crimes.

Worse, losing faith in the police force, some residents had arranged for private security in places like Panditjee road, where they hired night guards to check the criminal activities.

Several residents demanded immediate change in the strategy of the police to check the spurt in crimes.