Tezpur: Masked armed miscreants looted Rs 18.85 crore from Punjab National Bank in Manipur's Ukhrul district, police said on Friday. A CCTV camera outside the bank captured a group of men armed with weapons entering the bank last evening. The robbery came to light this morning.
As per the CCTV footage, 10 unidentified masked men armed with sophisticated weapons arrived at the bank in the Viewland area of Ukhrul at 5.40 pm on Thursday. Bank employees said the miscreants wore face masks and spoke in unfamiliar language. Some of the robbers held the employees captive at gunpoint while others became busy collecting the cash.
Apart from employees there were no other people in the bank when the robbery took place since it was closed for customers at 4 pm. The bank manager was also on leave. Although initially there were seven security guards at the premises, when the incident occurred there was only one personnel at the main gate while the others were having tea. The robbers entered the bank through the back gate and then came to the front to subdue the guard there.
The employees and the security guard were confined inside the washroom. One of the employees was forced to open the vault. The robbers reportedly looted Rs 18.85 crore from the bank's vault.
Meanwhile, local residents said they spotted two suspicious men behind the bank's building. A case has been registered at Ukhrul police station. Police are examining the CCTV footage to identify the robbers.
However, neither the bank authorities nor the police have issued any official statement till now. Security has been tightened in and around all the financial institutions in the area.
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