CHENNAI: A 45-year-old man was arrested by the Avadi city police on Friday for attempting to break into the branch of a nationalised bank in Red Hills on Thursday night.

Investigations revealed that he was upset after he lost money in online gambling.

The arrested person was identified as G Suresh of Veerapuram in Tiruvallur district. Police said that he was employed with a private firm and earned about Rs 1 lakh a month and his wife is also employed.

In the past few months, he lost close to Rs 20 lakhs playing online rummy, police said.

On Thursday, he went to the building housing the bank and hid on the terrace until the bank’s working hours ended.

After the staff left for the day, he used a hacksaw blade to cut the grill gate of the bank, but the alarm went off.

The branch manager received an alert and alerted the local police.

Based on the information, a patrol team went to the scene and caught Suresh who was hiding on the terrace.

The police inquiries revealed that he was a first-time offender. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.