Editorial
Split-second gallantry thwarts bank robbery
Close-circuit TV monitoring can beef up security
The manager, Exim Bank, Eskaton branch in the capital proved to be a cut above others on Tuesday. When facing a mortal danger even the most obvious tool for safety may be lost sight of or at best approached with a trembling finger in an incapacitated state of panic. None of this happened with manager Anwar Hossain. He kept his wits about him in spite of sensing and sighting a first-track run-up to a sensational bank robbery. It was a sequence by sequence unfolding of a horrific story: one of the gangsters standing guard at the ground floor entrance; the snatching of a guard's shotgun; and the ring leader gesticulating at the bank officials and clients to huddle into a small dining space. At this point, the bank manager pressed the alarm button setting the bell ringing at the ground floor to send the SOS across. When people rushed into the bank premises, the gang fled thick and fast. Prompt police action followed, the cops seizing the micro-bus the gang used and arresting the driver who would gave them valuable leads to the robbery attempt. The manager's courageous and timely step saved the bank vault and also perhaps some human lives. Next to the bank manager, credit goes to the shopkeepers, people on the street and the police for responding collectively to the challenge. The alarm bell played the pivotal role in foiling what could be a massive bank dacoity. But there was an element of providence to it in that there was no electric load-shedding at that point in time! It is essential therefore that every bank has an auto-generator for emergency power supply. Given the mounting incidence of bank robbery in the country, it is imperative that we do a stocktaking of security arrangements in the banks and financial institutions and then bridge the gaps. The night time surveillance should be as fool-proof as the daytime precautions. Close-circuit television monitoring should be installed in all financial institutions.
|
|
