A woman rides her scooter past a Muthoot Finance branch
Credit: Reuters photo
Mangaluru: An attempted robbery at a Muthoot Finance branch in Derlakatte here was thwarted in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
According to police sources, three individuals, who had arrived by train on Saturday evening, waited near Derlakatte until late at night before attempting to execute the crime.
Around 3 AM on Sunday, the suspects tried to break open the door of the Muthoot Finance branch, located on the upper floor of a commercial building at Derlakatte Junction, using a drill machine.
The security alarm was triggered during the attempt, alerting the finance company's control room, which informed the police.
A police patrol team rushed to the scene. By the time the siren went off, local residents had also gathered near the premises.
Two of the suspects, identified as Murali from Kanhangad (Kerala) and Harshad from Kasargod (Kerala), were trapped inside the building and apprehended with the help of the public.
The police seized the drill machine used in the crime. However, a third suspect, Abdul Latif, also from Kasargod, managed to escape.
ACP Dhanya Nayak and a team led by Konaje Inspector Rajendra visited the crime scene and conducted a detailed investigation.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that the two arrested individuals were also involved in a bank robbery at a Vijaya Bank branch in Kerala, the police said.