Hazaribagh (Jharkhand), April 24 (IANS) In a major bank robbery, armed criminals decamped with gold and cash worth several crores of rupees from a branch of the Bank of Maharashtra in Barhi town of Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district on Friday evening, officials said.

According to preliminary estimates, the gang looted around four kg of gold valued between Rs 6 and Rs 7 crore from the bank’s strong room, along with Rs 5 lakh in cash from the counter.

The incident has caused panic in the area and raised serious questions over police and bank security arrangements.

As per eyewitnesses and bank officials, the robbery took place around 4 p.m.

The criminals committed the crime in a well‑planned manner. Bank’s Deputy Manager Raushan Singh said two young men first entered the bank under the pretext of opening a current account. Soon after, three more accomplices followed them inside. Once inside, all five pulled out firearms and held bank staff and customers at gunpoint.

When some employees resisted, the robbers allegedly assaulted the bank manager and other staff members. The entire operation was completed in about 20 minutes. The criminals forced everyone into a corner, seized the keys, and targeted the strong room.

They filled the gold deposited by customers for gold loans — about four kg — into bags and also collected the cash lying at the counter. After committing the robbery, the gang locked the bank from the outside to prevent any immediate pursuit and fled the scene.

Bank employees later managed to get out and informed the police. The Barhi branch, located on Hazaribagh Road, was opened only seven to eight months ago. The ease with which the criminals accessed the strong room has raised serious concerns over the bank’s internal security.

On receiving information, Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar and Barhi SDPO Ajeet Kumar Vimal reached the spot along with police teams.

SP Aman Kumar said the matter is being investigated seriously, and CCTV footage from the bank and nearby areas is being scrutinised.

SDPO Ajeet Kumar Vimal said a special team has been formed to identify the criminals, and raids are being conducted at possible hideouts.

–IANS

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