A thief brazenly stole Tk 4 lakh from a bank customer while he and his family were busy counting the cash he had just withdrawn from inside a bank in Cumilla on Sunday afternoon.
The incident occurred at around 4:25pm at the Pubali Bank branch in Debidwar. A video clip of the incident has already gone viral on social media.
The victim, Md. Zakir Hossain, an electrician from Chhot Alampur village in Devidwar, filed a written complaint with Debidwar Police Station on Sunday night.
According to the complaint, Zakir Hossain withdrew Tk 7 lakh from the bank for family needs. As the bank provided the cash in smaller denominations—comprising five bundles of Tk 1,000 notes, two bundles of Tk 500 notes and 10 bundles of Tk 100 notes—he sat on a sofa inside the bank to count the money with his wife, Ayasha Akhter, and daughter-in-law, Poly Akhter.
After counting four bundles of Tk 1,000 notes (Tk 4 lakh), they placed the cash behind them on the sofa and focused on counting the remaining notes. Seizing the opportunity, a thief sitting nearby quietly snatched the four bundles and fled the scene. The family only realized the money went missing after they finished counting the rest of the cash. That it was stolen was subsequently confirmed by reviewing the bank's CCTV footage.
Md. Waes Masum Chowdhury, Pubali Bank Branch Manager, said the customer was focused on counting and placing the money behind him without paying attention to his surroundings, which allowed the thief to execute the crime.
Md. Moniruzzaman, Debidwar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC), said they received the complaint along with the CCTV footage. "We are investigating the matter and attempting to take swift action," the OC added.