In Daring Heist, Gold Worth Rs 20 Crore Looted From SBI Bank In Karnataka

Dressed in military-style uniforms and armed with guns, a gang of three masked men stormed into a State Bank of India branch at Karnataka's Chadachan town on Tuesday evening and looted gold ornaments worth Rs 20 crore and Rs 1 crore cash, according to police.

The robbers overpowered the bank staff, tied up the manager and other employees, before locking them inside the toilet. They tied the hands and legs of the staff and customers with plastic bags to prevent them from moving.

They then asked the branch manager to open the cash vault for counting, then forced the staff to open the gold locker. "Take out the cash, otherwise I will kill you," one of them told the branch manager.

The robbers then filled their bags with cash and customers' gold ornaments and fled.

Following the incident, Superintendent of Police, Laxman Nimbargi of Chadachan police station, along with senior officers rushed to the spot.

As per initial investigation, the gang used a van with a fake number plate to carry out the robbery. They then fled towards Pandharpur in neighbouring Maharashtra. After entering the Solapur district, they met with an accident, leading to an argument with locals. The robbers then fled the spot along with looted jewellery and cash, police said.

"The accused used an Ecco vehicle with a fake number plate to commit the offence. After an accident involving a two-wheeler, they then 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.