Larceny

The Lake branch of Loan Bank is situated at one end of Southern Avenue.
The branch occupies the entire ground floor of a five storey building.
The rest of the building has residential flats. This branch is the
busiest in south Calcutta. If you want to enter the branch you have to
pass through a metal detector. The entrance of the branch is manned by
two security guards in uniform carrying guns. As you look to your left
you will find the reception. A beautiful lady always dressed elegantly
will greet you there. If you have any questions about the bank, or any
services you expect from it, this is the place to ask. As you leave the
reception and move forward towards the main section of the bank you see
three counters. The counters are open and not enclosed in glass. The
management has been thinking about erecting a glass partition between
the various counters and the outside but this has somehow not happened.
The three counters have their names written on metal plates hanging
from the ceiling. The counter on the left is the most important. It is
called 'Deposits'. This is where the money from individual depositors
is deposited and this is also where it is withdrawn. Naturally, this
counter is usually very busy during banking hours. The security guards
keep a close watch on this counter all the time. The second counter is
called 'Loans'. This counter is for loans and advances. Naturally, the
rush is lesser here. The first two counters are manned by clerks. The
third counter is called 'Administrative'. The person who sits at this
counter is the accountant. It is his work to update the various books
of accounts. At the back of the bank is a small cubicle where the
manager sits. The manager has the keys to the strong room where the
cash is stored at the end of the day. Today is a Monday. This is a busy
day for any bank because it's the first day of the week. At the Lake
branch of Loan Bank it is business as usual. The Deposits counter has a
long queue, mostly ladies. There is a man in a suit standing before the
Loans counter. Suddenly three tall ladies enter the branch. Before
anyone can react, the tallest lady takes out a gun and aims it at the
clerk in the Deposits Counter. The clerk is told, "Hand over all your
cash". Before the guards do anything the other two ladies climb over
the counters. One of them goes into the manager's room and drags him
outside. She tells him, "Put all the cash in the strong room into this
bag" and throws a bag at him. When the manager does not obey her orders
the woman takes out a hand-grenade from her trouser pocket. She
threatens to throw it and the manager is nervous. He leads her to the
strong room and the cash is collected in the bag. Meanwhile the second
woman cuts off all telephone lines and asks everyone to hand over their
mobile phones. After this is done she takes off her coat. Apparently
she is wired like a human bomb. She points to the explosive device tied
to her body and begins to collect the cash from the Deposits counter.
In the meanwhile the leader goes to the security guards and asks them
to hand over their guns. One of the guards senses that something is
seriously wrong. The way the women handle their weapons seems to
indicate that they are not familiar with them. The weapons themselves
looked suspicious. They look like?.toy weapons. That was it! The three
women were carrying toy weapons. Instantly, both the security guards
know. They catch the lady with the gun by the shoulders. They tell her,
"Your game is up." After a brief struggle the three women give up.
Later, while being interrogated by the police they admit that they were
gambling addicts. Their husbands were not ready to finance their fun
and games. So, the three of them had come up with this plan. They had
used toys belonging to their children to rob the bank. They had
believed that if they convinced the people in the bank that their
weapons were real the rest of the job would be easy.