Octogenarian spends night inside Hyd bank, after being locked inside, rescued by cops

PTI, Mar 29, 2022, 5:45 PM IST

Hyderabad: A 84-year old man had to spend a night in a bank’s locker room here after the bank staff accidentally locked him inside the premises and left, police said on Tuesday.

It was only on Tuesday morning that the octogenarian, who spent almost 18 hours (from 4.40 PM on Monday till 10.30 AM today) inside the bank’s locker room was traced and rescued by police, who found him lying on the floor of the locker room in a semi-unconscious state and immediately got him shifted to a hospital.

The elderly man, had visited the bank to open his locker on Monday evening but the bank staff apparently did not notice him and locked the premises and left but leaving him inside the bank, police said.

After the elderly man, a diabetic, did not return home, his family members filed a complaint with the police after which a missing case was registered, Jubilee Hills Police Station Inspector S Rajasekhar Reddy said. Police during course of investigation and after verifying the CCTV footage noticed the elderly man passing through Jubilee Hills check post area on Monday evening and entering into the bank premises, he told PTI.

Police further found that after locking up the bank premises, all staff left but did not find the elderly man coming out and concluded that he was inside the bank itself.

Accordingly, a police team visited the bank on Tuesday and asked the bank officials to open the locker room and traced the elderly man and got him shifted to a nearby hospital, the police official said adding his condition is now stable. The man was not carrying his mobile phone as he forgot it at his house on Monday, police said.

The official further said they were in the process of registering a case against the bank staff for their alleged negligent act in connection with the incident. The police official tweeted: ”We have successfully traced him at Union Bank of India, Jubilee Hills check post. Yesterday evening he was confined accidentally in Lockers room of Union Bank. After verifying the CCTV cameras the Jubilee Hills Police successfully rescued him and shifted to near by Hospital.” Some netizens termed it as irresponsible behaviour of bank employees and said the matter needs investigation and necessary action.