ALAPPUZHA: Five and a half kilograms of gold and cash of Rs 4.5 lakh were robbed from the cooperative bank at Karuvatta in Harippad. The gold was looted after destroying the lockers. It is not clear when the theft happened. Only when the employees came to office this morning after Onam holidays, the theft came to their notice. The burglars also took the hard disc of the CCTV camera installed in the bank. Reports said the gold lost were all pawned ones.

The locker was destroyed using a gas cutter. The police will be examining the CCTV footages of the houses and firms near the bank. No hints have obtained so far. Top police officials including district police chief have reached the spot. Police suspect a big gang behind the incident. It is not clear whether an alarm facility was there in the bank.