Coimbatore : With no major breakthrough in the major heist in SBI branch in Palladam in nearby Tirupur District, police have formed 11 special teams to nab the culprits.

According to preliminary assessment by the bank, the robbers have looted Rs.18.5 lakh in cash and gold ornaments ranging from 500 to 1,000 sovereigns in the intervening night of February 21 and 22, when the Kallipalayam branch was closed for two day holidays.

Though the loss of gold ornaments were a rough estimate, the actual figure will be known only after questioning the customers who had kept them in their personal lockers, as the robbers did not touch the jewels pledged by them, police sources said.

Of the over 110 safety lockers, 27 were found broke open and jewels and other valuables taken away.

Since the CCTV cameras in and around the bank were broken by the burglars, it has become difficult to identify the persons involved in the heist, they said.

Though police managed to get a CCTV footage from a nearby complex, it was found unclear and dull to identify the miscreants.