Dressed in military-style uniforms and armed with firearms, a gang of three masked men stormed a State Bank of India branch in Chadachan town, Karnataka, on Tuesday late evening, looting gold ornaments worth Rs 20 crore and Rs 1 crore in cash, according to police.
The robbers overpowered the bank staff, restrained the manager and other employees, and locked them in the toilet. They bound the hands and legs of the staff and customers with plastic bags to immobilise them.
They then demanded that the branch manager open the cash vault for counting and forced the staff to unlock the gold locker. “Take out the cash, otherwise I will kill you,” one of the robbers told the branch manager.
The gang filled their bags with cash and customers’ gold ornaments before fleeing. Following the incident, Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi from Chadachan police station, along with senior officers, rushed to the scene.
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Initial investigations suggest the gang used a van with a fake number plate to carry out the robbery. They fled towards Pandharpur in neighbouring Maharashtra. After entering Solapur district, they were involved in an accident, which led to an altercation with locals. The robbers then fled the scene with the looted jewellery and cash, police reported.
“The accused used an Ecco vehicle with a fake number plate to commit the offence. After an accident involving a two-wheeler, they then absconded from the spot with the loot,” Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Lakshman Nimbargi said.
A case has been registered, and a joint search operation by Karnataka and Maharashtra police is underway.
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