Rs 5 cr gold looted from Odisha bank: Robbers had a cakewalk with no security guard on duty

• Six armed men robbed an Odisha bank of gold worth Rs 5 crore and Rs 8 lakh cash.
• Robbers threatened staff and customers, escaped on motorcycles in 15 minutes
• Police suspect the gang may have come from Jharkhand, investigation underway

Did our AI summary help?

Six armed men walked into a bank in Barbil town of Keonjhar district in Odisha during business hours on Monday and fled with gold jewellery worth over Rs 5 crore and Rs 5 lakh cash. The bank, which largely deals in gold loans, had only two staff members and not a single security guard, police said.

According to the police, the robbers entered the bank wearing masks and carrying pistols at around 2 pm. At the time, around 10 bank employees and five customers were inside the branch. The armed men quickly shut the main gate and threatened everyone at gunpoint. They collected mobile phones from staff and customers and forced them into a room.

The robbers then broke into the bank’s safe deposit lockers and took away gold and cash. Initial estimates suggest that 4 to 5 kilograms of gold, linked to gold loan accounts, was stolen. The value of the gold is believed to be between Rs 4 crore and Rs 5 crore. In addition, around Rs 8 lakh in cash was also looted.

Keonjhar Superintendent of Police Nitin Kusalkar rushed to the spot along with senior officers. He said the exact value of the stolen items is still being verified. “Multiple police teams have been formed to trace the culprits. We are checking CCTV footage from the bank and nearby areas. Since Barbil is close to the Jharkhand border, we suspect the gang may have come from Jharkhand,” he was quoted by TOI as saying.

The entire operation lasted only about 15 minutes. The robbers escaped on five motorcycles. Local residents and shopkeepers nearby were not aware of the crime until the robbers had already fled.

Police confirmed that there was no security guard at the bank during the robbery. The SP said police had earlier advised banks in the district to install better CCTV systems, alarm facilities and security guards. “Unfortunately, this branch did not follow our safety advice,” he added.

Bank manager P K Burnwal said the robbers threatened to shoot if the lockers were not opened. “They took cash and packets of gold,” he said, adding that the CCTV surveillance system is functional.