Masked man 'armed' with a plastic gun, tries to rob a bank in Santoshpur, gets caught
Telegraph | 12 April 2025
A man, who had his face covered with a mask and "armed" himself with a plastic gun, tried to rob a bank in Santoshpur on Friday. He got caught after those around him recognised the fake gun as a gas lighter and handed him over to the police.
The incident happened at the Santoshpur branch of a nationalised bank, close to the accused's home.
Police identified the accused as 33-year-old Dalim Bose, who works for the postal department and is posted as a sorting assistant at the Yogayog Bhavan.
Bose told police he was struggling to pay the EMIs against a bank loan of around ₹30 to ₹35 lakh.
Bose, a resident of 21/A Avenue South, Santoshpur, has been charged with the offence of attempt to commit robbery and under sections of the Arms Act.
Eyewitnesses said a man, with a mask on, entered the bank at 49, Santoshpur Avenue, on Friday at around 2.45pm.
"The man held one of the housekeeping staff of the bank at gunpoint. He started to shout, asking everyone to put their mobile phones on the ground," said an officer of Survey Park police station who examined the eyewitnesses.
"Around 2.44pm, one man wearing a mask and armed with a gun entered the bank and attempted to rob the cash by holding one of the housekeeping staff at gunpoint," said the joint commissioner (crime) of Kolkata Police, Rupesh Kumar.
The bank staff members recognised the fake gun and overpowered him, police said.
Police have seized the fake gun and a folding knife from him.
Cops said they have collected the CCTV footage from the bank.
Bose, a graduate from a Garia college, is known as a "good boy" in the neighbourhood.
A neighbour said it was difficult to believe that Bose could do something like that. "I have known him since his childhood. It is hard to believe that Bose would do something like this," said an elderly neighbour.
No other names have cropped up during Bose's interrogation till now, said a police officer.
Bose will be produced in court on Saturday.
His family includes his mother and wife. Bose's mother refuted all the allegations. "No one will believe this in this neighbourhood. All these are lies," she told reporters on Friday.