Robbers loot ₹1.19 cr from HDFC branch in Vaishali

PATNA Armed robbers looted ₹1

PATNA

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Armed robbers looted ₹1.19 crore from an HDFC branch at Jadua in Bihar’s Vaishali district on Thursday, the police said.

According to police, the robbers, five to six in number and wearing masks and gloves, entered the bank at 10.30 am, when around 10 persons, including customers, were present at the bank. One of them waved a gun and warned those present against raising an alarm. They also disabled the alarm system and thrashed the branch manager when he resisted their loot attempt. Another robber picked cash from the strong room at gun point.

Police said it took the robbers nearly 20 minutes to execute the crime and flee the spot on two bikes after snatching mobile phones of all the bank employees and customers and locking them inside the building.

After they were gone, vendors nearby rescued the staff and reported the matter to the police.

Inspector general (Tirhut range) Ganesh Kumar and Vaishali superintendent of police (SP) Maneesh later visited the spot.

The SP said they were trying to identify the miscreants through footages of CCTV cameras installed inside and outside the bank. “We have started an investigation. District borders have been sealed to prevent the robbers from escaping,” he said.

The IG said the case was a challenge for police and a special investigation team has been formed under the supervision of Deputy SP (Sadar) to crack the case.

Locals in the area said that in February this year, criminals had looted ₹43 lakh from AXIX bank just three kilometres from the HDFC branch.