KATHMANDU, NOV 06 - The high-level police team formed to probe into the sensational Rastriya Banijya Bank robbery that took place on Sunday evening in the capital disclosed today that bank security staff Surya Prasad Nepal and his two blood brothers perpetrated the crime. The latter two are still at large.
Nepal was the only security guard on duty when the looting occurred. There are nine security guards in the bank.
Cash worth Rs 22 million, all in Rs 1000-denomination bank notes, was robbed from the bank, which is situated less than 50 metres from the Janasewa Police Post, Bishal Bazaar. Police were informed of the loot about two hours after the looters left the bank premises with the booty at 8: 30 pm. The looting took place from 5: 30 pm.
Speaking to journalists at the Police Headquarters today, chief of the probe team Additional Inspector General of Police Govinda Thapa said that Surya Prasad Nepal, 43, and his brothers Kalyan Nepal, 34, a shopkeeper in Nuwakot, and Baikuntha Nepal, 30, driver of bus with registration number Na 1 Kha 2841 committed the robbery.
"We request citizens to help us to nab the two," said Thapa. "Informants will be rewarded handsomely," he added. The looters hail from Ratomate VDC-7, Dhansar, Nuwakot.
Cutting tools used for committing the crime were recovered from the bank’s toilet. Surya Prasad Nepal has admitted to the police that he himself procured the saw used for cutting the grill at the main entrance as well as the six heavy locks that secured the bank vault. There is no alarm system and vigilance system in the bank.
A highly placed police source told The Kathmandu Post that the two culprits could already have reached India, and therefore their arrest is a bleak possibility. "The two reached their parental house in Nuwakot the night of the robbery, while the police beefed up search in Thankot," he said.
Police raided the house in Nuwakot on Monday and seized a few bundles of bank notes from K P Nepal, father of the alleged robbers. Upon interrogating the father, police gathered that the two had left at daybreak to Mungling through Dhading. By Monday night they could easily have escaped to India.
This is the biggest bank robbery case the capital has ever witnessed. Final estimates have put the bank holdings at the time of the robbery at Rs 300 million, including travellers’ cheques and foreign currency.Posted on: 2003-11-05 08:45

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