Burglaries at Khulna bank, Patuakhali ATM booth

Miscreants have stolen around Tk 16 lakh after breaking into the locker of a Krishi Bank branch in Rupsha upazila of Khulna, said police.

The burglary is believed to have occurred sometime between Thursday afternoon and 10:00pm on Friday.

Around 10:00pm Friday, a security guard noticed the padlock on the main entrance's collapsible gate was broken. He alerted locals, who then informed police.

Rupsha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Mahfuzur Rahman told The Daily Star, "We have collected CCTV footage and a detailed analysis is underway."

He added that no guards were on duty at the bank that night. "Our initial findings suggest the theft was possible due to lapses in the bank's security measures," he said.

Bank officials could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, in Patuakhali town, a group of burglars vandalised and looted a Dutch-Bangla Bank Fast Track ATM booth along with two shops on Sadar Road early yesterday.

Around 3:30am, the gang stormed the ATM booth at Adalatpara, tied up and assaulted security guard Mojibur Rahman, and then vandalised the booth, looting a laptop, said Sadar Police Station OC Imtiaz Ahmed.

Mojibur, left seriously injured after being struck on the head, was admitted to Patuakhali Medical College Hospital.

About 20 minutes later, the same gang broke into "Fashion Optical" on Sadar Road, stealing products, a computer monitor, and about Tk 2 lakh in cash.

Around 4:30am, they targeted "Shikdar Store" in the area, looting a CCTV monitor, cash, recharge cards, and other items, the OC added.

Md Rinku, channel officer of Dutch-Bangla Fast Track, confirmed Mojibur had been tied up and attacked.

"We have obtained video footage of the incident. An investigation is underway, and the culprits will be identified and brought to justice soon," the OC said.

[Our correspondents from Khulna and Patuakhali contributed to this report.]