Hero Image

UP: Armed robbers take bank staff hostage, loot Rs 13 lakh

LUCKNOW: In a daring daylight heist, four armed robbers struck at Anandnagar branch of a private sector bank under Farenda police station in Maharajganj on Thursday, held customers and staff at gun point and decamped with over Rs 13 lakh in cash.


IG (Gorakhpur range) J N Singh told TOI, “The bank guards were not armed, hence could not challenge the robbers.

We have CCTV footage.”

Station officer, Farenda, Ashutosh Singh said, “Four men wearing full helmets walked in around 12.30pm. Two trained pistols at cashier Shiv Ojha and told him to hand over all the cash. They threatened to shoot anybody trying to resist or chase.”

They fired two rounds before escaping after which bank staff informed police. IG Gorakhpur and SP Maharajganj Rohit Sajwan rushed to the spot with heavy police force and crime branch unit.

Branch manager Faiz Ahmad Azmi told TOI, “The assailants took away Rs 13.29 lakh.”

“It seems to be handiwork of a gang which struck thrice in last three months. Last month, four armed robbers had entered Bank of Baroda branch in Allahabad, trained pistol at cashier and looted Rs 5 lakh. The gang targets branches on the outskirts of the cities and are without well armed security guards. The gang attacks during daytime only. We are establishing contact with police of other districts and will work out the case soon and arrest the robbers,” said SP Rohit Sajwan. On August 27, masked robbers had struck at the ICICI Bank branch in Ambedkarnagar district and decamped with over Rs 38 lakh in cash.

SSP Allahabad Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj told TOI, “Our crime branch unit has collected vital clues.”

READ ON APP