Masked men loot ₹21 crore in cash, gold from SBI branch in Karnataka

Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi said that the robbers reportedly used a Suzuki vehicle with a fake number plate and fled towards Pandharpur in Maharashtra

A routine Tuesday closing time at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Vijayapura district of Karnataka turned into a scene straight out of a Bollywood thriller, leaving employees and locals stunned. In a meticulously planned heist, three masked men, armed with country-made pistols and knives, entered the bank posing as customers before escaping with more than ₹21 crore in cash and gold, police said on Wednesday, as reported by PTI.

 

The incident took place around 6.30 pm. According to bank officials, the stolen items include cash exceeding ₹1 crore and nearly 20 kg of gold ornaments valued at about ₹20 crore. 

Robbers pretended to open account

Police said the robbers entered the branch pretending to be customers seeking to open a current account. In the FIR, SBI branch manager Tarakeshwar mentioned that shortly before the robbery, a masked man aged between 25 and 30, wearing a cap and glasses, walked into his office. 

“He wanted to open a current account, and he produced the form with wrong details. I asked him to correct it. Meanwhile, I and my colleague Mahanthesh went towards the strong room to close the day’s account. The man followed us, and at gunpoint, told us, “Cash nikalo warna jaan se maar doonga [Take out the cash, or we will kill you],” Tarakeshwar said, as quoted by The Indian Express.

 

Following this, two more men came in and tied up some of the staff and customers before looting cash and gold from the strong room. Police mentioned that a few gunshots were also fired inside the branch.

 

Robbers flee towards Maharashtra

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered based on the complaint of the branch manager, and multiple police teams have been formed to trace the suspects.

 

Citing initial inquiries, Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi told PTI that the robbers used a Suzuki vehicle with a fake number plate to carry out the robbery. “After committing the offence, they travelled towards Pandharpur in Maharashtra,” he said.

 

This marks the second bank robbery reported in Vijayapura district within four months, The Indian Express reported.