Mangaluru, (Karnataka) Jan 17 (IANS) An armed gang of five dacoits looted more than Rs 12 crore worth of gold after threatening the bank staff with guns, swords, and knives in Mangaluru district of Karnataka on Friday.
The incident has raised concerns, coming just a day after two robbers shot dead an ATM cash vehicle staffer and looted Rs 93 lakh in cash on Thursday in Bidar city of the state.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah attending an event in Mangaluru city held an emergency meeting with senior police officers and ordered urgent action to nab the dacoits.
According to the police, the dacoits barged into the K.C. Road branch of the Koteker Ullal Cooperative Bank in Mangaluru in a car, threatening the staff with guns, swords, and knives. They made off with gold articles worth over Rs 12 crore and Rs 5 lakh in cash.
The gang filled gold and cash into four to five bags before disappearing.
Usha, who lives across from the bank and witnessed the dacoity, stated that she saw five people rushing out of the bank. “I got scared. Four of them were dragging the bags, and one came running behind. All five dacoits were wearing masks and caps. There was no one around because it was Friday,” she said.
Following the preliminary investigation, the police suspect the involvement of insiders. The bank’s CCTV cameras had been sent for repair on Friday, which has raised suspicions.
In light of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visit to Mangaluru, the police department was busy making security arrangements. The bank is located in a region with a large population from the minority community, and the road was empty as many had gone to offer prayers. The police believe the dacoits studied the situation and planned the robbery accordingly.
Meanwhile, following the Koteker Ullal Cooperative Bank robbery, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah held an urgent meeting with senior police officials in Mangaluru and issued strict instructions to quickly apprehend the culprits.
West Range IGP Amit Singh, Police Commissioner Anupam Agarwal, SP Yathish N, and DySP were among the senior officers present at the meeting.
After gathering complete information about the incident, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah questioned, “Why did this happen with all of you present? How did the culprits manage to escape so easily? How many tolls did they pass through? Why weren’t the tolls properly monitored?” he asked, visibly upset.
“There was no security staff at the cooperative bank, and only five or six bank employees were present,” the Chief Minister said angrily.
Police officials informed the Chief Minister that the suspects spoke in Kannada and Hindi.
The Chief Minister instructed, “There should be tight checks at all toll gates. Set up roadblocks in the four districts and arrest the culprits as soon as possible, ensuring strict legal action against them.”
The police have formed special teams and launched a manhunt for the dacoits.
–IANS
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