Daringbadi: Polices’ hour-long mock drill at a bank in Kandhamal district panicked local businessmen and common people alike Thursday.
It was early in the morning. The activities were picking pace with a few customers already inside the hall decorating the queues.
The name calls and the bee movement had just started and some masked men stormed into the bank, wielding pistols. Laying siege to its premises a couple of them went straight towards the chamber of the branch manager, Kishore Chandra Sethy and put pistols on his head, asking for the locker keys.
While the others made every customer kneel down with their arms held up. Just as the masked men were conducting the hold up, the siren went off.
In no time, the news of the loot spread and fright followed. Businessmen started harrowing in panic; shopkeepers downed their shutters immediately and took to refuge. Some ran for cover while others thronged the bank to see what the matter actually was.
The next moment, Baliguda sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Nitin Kushalkar, IIC Alekh Garadia, sub inspector Chandrika Swain reached the bank with force. A melee ensued among them; the police nabbed the masked men and got them to surrender.
Seeing the situation under control, the crowd came rushing towards the ‘pretending robbers’ to give them a good lesson. But, the police intervened and cleared their doubts, informing that the masked men were not dacoits, but men of uniform conducting a mock drill.
The crowd however was in no mood to take the police’s version into confidence. Thinking that the police might be shielding the robbers from being beaten up they charged in force.
It took some time for the police to pacify the angry crowd.
Thereafter the police inspected the security system including CCTV cameras to ensure if they are working perfectly.
PNN