Chennai bank robbery: Under fire, he banked on his guts

When 30-year-old S. Mohanraj spotted a masked man with a gun threatening people inside the Indian Bank on Monday afternoon, he thought it was a shooting for some prank video. However, once he realised it was a real robbery, he managed to chase and nab the suspect.

“I was fiddling with my phone when the robber (Manish Kumar Yadav) entered and brought the manager out at gunpoint. He made all the customers stand in one corner. I kept smiling at him, thinking it was a prank. Then, he ordered me to stand aside and keep quiet. It was only then I realised it was a real robbery,” he said speaking to The Hindu.

Mr. Mohanraj, who works at a leather company in Periamet, said that he had come to the bank to deposit his company’s cheque. “The accused was speaking to someone on his bluetooth device and telling the other person that he was fine, while running out of the bank,” Mr. Mohanraj recalled.

Manish Kumar Yadav, who robbed the bank.  

Mr. Mohanraj immediately started chasing Yadav on his bike.

“I have not travelled so fast on my two-wheeler. When he whipped out the gun, my heart skipped a beat,” he said. He said the robber kept saying it was his money.

Traffic police help

Adyar traffic police inspector D. Joseph, special sub-inspectors Ansar Sheriff and A. Murugesan and head constable V. Chandra Kumar were busy with a traffic awareness programme when they heard the sound of gunfire.

“We realised immediately that something was wrong and ran towards the direction from which the sound came. The robber took to his heels seeing us. We chased him, along with Mr. Mohanraj, for nearly 1 km and nabbed him,” said Mr. Joseph.

The country-made guns seized from him.  

Interrogation revealed that Yadav came to Chennai a few years ago and was staying in Kelambakkam. He earned a living by doing odd jobs, including selling ice cream on the Marina and Besant Nagar beaches. The police found that he was having two country-made guns in his bag. “Since Munger district in Bihar is infamous for such guns, he got them easily. We inspected his room and are interrogating his friends,”

Bank rewards Mohanraj

Meanwhile, Indian Bank officials awarded Mr. Mohanraj and Jayanth, a school student who also helped in nabbing the suspect, for their bravery. R. Manimaran, general manager, Indian Bank, said that there were sufficient security systems in the bank.

He added that the CCTV footage from the bank had been handed over to the police.

Meanwhile, customers who came to the bank, said that they wanted better security. “There is no security guard here,” said Ranjan, a businessman.