SBI branch heist in India: Armed gang steals cash, 20kg gold

A gang of masked men, dressed in military-style uniforms, pulled off a daring robbery at the State Bank of India branch in Chadachan town, Karnataka, on Tuesday evening, escaping with Rs10.4 million in cash and 20kg of gold worth about Rs 200 million, according to police and the FIR.

The crime occurred at around 6:30pm, when the bank was closed for customers and the security guard was absent, The Indian Express reported.

Three men were inside the branch and two more waited outside. The robbers used country-made pistols and other weapons.

One of the gang members had earlier entered the branch under the guise of wanting to open a “current account,” submitting a form with incorrect details. As the manager and a colleague moved toward the strong room to close the day’s accounts, he pulled a gun and demanded the cash.

They bound both staff and customers (hands and legs) with plastic bags, locked several staff members in a toilet, and forced open the vault and the gold lockers. “Take out the cash, otherwise I will kill you,” one robber allegedly threatened.

During the robbery, some bullets were fired inside the branch. Outside, a few people using the ATM were present. All of this was captured on CCTV.

After stuffing their loot into sacks, the robbers fled in a van with a fake number plate, taking the Hulajanti route toward Maharashtra.

A joint search operation by police from Karnataka and Maharashtra has been launched.

This is the second bank heist reported in Vijayapura in the past four months.