Thrissur: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has intensified the probe into the daylight robbery at the Federal Bank in Potta, Chalakkudy. An unidentified man looted Rs 15 lakh from the bank on Friday around 2 pm after holding the staff at knifepoint. In the CCTV visuals recovered by the police, the suspect was seen riding a scooter in Angamaly.

Thrissur Rural SP B Krishnakumar said that the SIT has extended the probe to Ernakulam district. Central Zone DIG Hari Shankar stated that the robber is a Hindi-speaking man. He noted that speaking Hindi does not necessarily mean the suspect is not a Malayali. He added that it could be a tactic to mislead authorities. It was also evident that the accused understood Malayalam as he followed the bank staff’s conversation.

“The man had stolen money withdrawn from the ATM. We found it very strange that he did not take the entire cash,” said the official.

According to bank officials, a total of Rs 47 lakh was in the cash counter. However, the accused took only Rs 15 lakh, which was kept in three bundles.

The official added that the probe team has yet to confirm whether the bank employees assisted the robber. The DIG noted that investigators could not make such assumptions during the preliminary probe and that all angles of the robbery would be examined in detail.

The current investigation is focused on CCTV footage recovered from the Ernakulam-Thrissur stretch of the National Highway. Police claimed they have a lead on the travel route of the accused. Although the robber escaped from the bank on a TVS scooter, police have also launched a search on all trains passing through the district.

"The primary objective is to catch the culprit. Whether adequate security measures were in place at the bank is secondary and can be examined later," said the officer.

An official from the Chalakudy police station said they received an emergency call in the afternoon from the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) about the robbery. A team was immediately dispatched to the bank branch in Potta, near Chalakudy, police said.

CCTV footage of the robbery, aired on TV channels, showed the alleged robber arriving on a scooter with a bag on his back, wearing a helmet, a jacket, and gloves. Footage from inside the bank showed the suspect locking some staff members inside a room before forcefully breaking into the cash counter and filling his bag with money.