'Bereaved bank robber' caught for not wearing seat belT

A New York state woman who allegedly robbed six banks in 48 hours was caught after being given a ticket for not wearing her seat belt.

Pamela Kaichen, 43, admitted telling at least one bank teller she lost a loved one in the September 11 terror attacks – and then demanded money.

She allegedly robbed a bank on May 21 in Shrub Oak, 40 miles north of New York city, then held up another bank in Scarsdale, 20 miles further south.

The next day, she allegedly carried out four more bank jobs in Connecticut, taking an undisclosed amount of cash.

The complaint says Kaichen told a teller at the Bank of New York branch in Shrub Oak that she had “lost a loved one on September 11. Please put everything from your top drawer in this bag. I have a gun in my right hand.”

She was identified after a Connecticut police officer wrote her a ticket on the day of the Connecticut robberies for not wearing a seat belt, Danbury Police Chief Bob Paquette said.

Officer Paul Carroccio recognised the woman later that night while watching a video tape of a bank robbery on the news, Paquette said.