Rs 20 Lakh Cash, 10 Kg Jewellery Looted In Madhya Pradesh Bank Robbery

In one of the most daring bank robberies in recent times, five armed assailants entered into the Bank of Maharashtra branch in the Baidhan area of Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli district, opened fire, held customers and staff hostage, and fled with nearly 9-10 kilograms of gold and Rs 20 lakh in cash, a loot estimated to be worth around Rs 15 crore. The incident took place at around 1 pm on Friday, triggering panic across the region.

Inside the bank, the scenes were nothing short of terrifying. A customer who witnessed the entire episode recounted, "For the first time, I witnessed how hostages are taken. At gunpoint, they held us captive and looted the bank. Initially, two men entered; they hurled abuses, confiscated everyone's mobile phones, and demanded to know the whereabouts of the manager, threatening to shoot if he wasn't produced."

"They told the female staff member, 'You are from Chhattisgarh, aren't you? I will go there and shoot your family.' They then took the keys to the lockers and fled. They were carrying two bags, one containing jewellery and gold, and the other holding the cash," the customer added.

Another victim, Vinod Kumar Agrahari, described the brutality inside the bank. "I had come to the bank because I had received a call regarding a credit card. About ten minutes later, four or five robbers entered. They forced me to sit down, struck me with the butt of a gun, and slapped me four or five times," he said.

According to police, the robbers appeared to have precise information. They directly targeted a locker containing gold pledged by customers for loans. The attackers forced the manager to hand over keys and disclose details of cash reserves. When he hesitated, he was assaulted.

"The robbers demanded the keys to the cash chests and information regarding the cash reserves from the bank manager. They held staff and customers hostage in one place and then forced the lockers to be opened. The accused remained inside the bank for around 15 minutes before fleeing," said Manish Khatri, Superintendent of Police (SP).

He further added, "Roadblocks have been set up, four teams have been deployed, and CCTV footage is being scrutinised. A forensic team is also on the spot. One person who had come regarding a credit card was assaulted and injured. The exact value of the gold will be assessed after verification."

In a shocking revelation, police confirmed that no security guard was present at the bank during the robbery. The attackers even fired a shot to create fear before executing the heist.

Investigations have revealed that one of the accused was wearing a helmet while the others had their faces uncovered, making identification easier through CCTV. Footage from a nearby shop barely 50 feet from the bank has captured the robbers fleeing on a motorcycle.

The loot included Rs 14.5 lakh from previous deposits along with the day's collection, in addition to large quantities of gold and silver stored in the lockers.

The gravity of the incident has triggered a massive response. All exit points in Singrauli have been sealed, and police teams are coordinating with neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh