MANGALURU: Karnataka witnessed a second bank robbery in 24 hours after a gang of four armed robbers stormed into an agricultural co-operative bank, threatened employees with weapons and walked away with jewellery and other valuables worth Rs 4 crore here on Friday.
The armed robbery was reported from the KC Road branch of Kotekar Vyavasaya Seva Sahakari Sangha between 1pm and 1.20pm on the day CM Siddaramaiah was visiting the city.
Police chief Anupam Agrawal said the four masked attackers were armed with machetes and a pistol. At the time of the attack, the bank had 4-5 employees but no security guards were on duty.
Robbery took place on day of CM's visit
The incident comes a day after two bike-borne robbers shot dead an ATM van staffer and injured another one before fleeing with Rs 87 lakh cash meant for filling an ATM in Bidar.
The accused, speaking in Hindi, threatened the staff and forced the manager to open the strong room. They looted cash and gold jewellery stored in a locker. Preliminary estimates suggest the total value of the stolen items to be approximately Rs 4 crore, the commissioner said.
The suspects also damaged a printer, forcibly took mobile phones from the staff, and snatched a ring from the CCTV technician present at the time.
The group fled the scene in a black car, heading towards KC Road Junction, he said. The suspects also damaged a printer, took mobile phones of the staff and snatched a ring from the CCTV technician present at the time.
The accused fled in a black car and CCTV footage showed them heading towards K C Road Junction, he said.
Multiple police teams have been formed to investigate the case and apprehend the accused.
Efforts are being intensified to track the suspects based on available leads and technical surveillance, the commissioner stated.
CM Siddaramaiah, who was in the city at the time, immediately convened a meeting with top police officials. He expressed dissatisfaction with how the suspects managed to escape unhindered, questioning potential security lapses at toll booths and instructing officials to tighten checks across all routes.
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