Barbil: Armed miscreants looted gold jewellery worth an estimated Rs 7.5 crore and cash of about Rs 4.34 lakh from the Bank of Maharashtra’s Barbil branch in Keonjhar district Monday afternoon, police said. The robbery took place at the branch located barely 200 meters from the Barbil sub-divisional police officer’s (SDPO) office.
According to officials, five to six armed men entered the bank, threatened staff and customers at gunpoint, and forced bank officials to open the strong room. The assailants fled with around 5 kilograms of gold jewellery and cash before police could arrive. Keonjhar SP Nitin Kusalkar Dagudu and his team rushed to the spot and launched an investigation.
Police sealed the state borders and intensified search operations, Barbil IIC Ashok Nayak said. Police flagged serious lapses in bank security, including the absence of a security guard and the alleged failure to follow SOPs. The looters, wearing masks and helmets, entered the branch in the afternoon when BM Pankaj Barnwal and ABM Priyam Ranjan Hota were on duty.
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An accountant, Subhas Adhikari, who entered the bank during the incident, was also accosted and relieved of his phone. The assailants remained inside the bank for about 20 to 25 minutes. After news of the robbery spread, customers who had pledged gold ornaments to avail loans gathered outside the bank, expressing concern over the safety and recovery of their valuables.
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