Overview

• Burglars made off with more than 10 kilograms of pledged gold ornaments and between ₹36 lakh and ₹38 lakh in cash from the Thumukunta branch on Sunday morning.
• Preliminary findings show the suspects cut through rear window grills to enter and severed CCTV wiring before accessing vaults.
• The branch had operated without a security guard or watchman for four years despite police warnings issued three months earlier about its vulnerabilities.
• Hindupur police registered a first information report and dispatched forensic teams to collect fingerprints and material evidence from the scene.
• This heist marks the latest in a series of high-value bank and residential burglaries across southern India since late 2024, underscoring systemic security lapses.