Chhapra, Jan. 10: Police are yet to make any headway into the Rs 45-lakh robbery at the Bank of India’s Teknewas branch in the town on December 31.

The robbery had not only exposed loopholes in security arrangements at the bank, it also left the police in Saran red-faced. This is not the first time that robbers have targeted the bank.

In 1991 and 2003, criminals had struck the branch and decamped with Rs 50,000 and Rs 3.50 lakh respectively. But bank officials appear to have not taken any lesson from the two incidents. They kept big amounts in the branch on the pretext of distributing pensions. According to provisions, the bank is supposed to keep a maximum of Rs 12 lakh in the branch.

Superintendent of police (SP) A.K. Satyarthi said the branch had stashed away Rs 60 lakh in its chest in the past. Besides, closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras were not working as there was no battery back-up and the alarm bells were non-functional when the robbers struck on December 31, he added. On the absence of police vigil at the bank, the SP said: “Its officials had never sought any security. Teams have been constituted to catch the criminals and the Revelganj police station in-charge has been suspended for dereliction of duty.”