3 Armed Men in Military Uniform Loot Karnataka SBI Branch, Flee With 20 Kg Gold and Rs 1 Crore Cash
3 Armed Men in Military Uniform Loot Karnataka SBI Branch, Flee With 20 Kg Gold and Rs 1 Crore Cash
A shocking bank robbery has left people in Karnataka’s Vijayapura district stunned. On Tuesday evening, September 16, three masked men dressed in military-style uniforms stormed the State Bank of India’s Chadchan branch and escaped with cash and gold worth over Rs 21 crore. According to a report by PTI, the gang arrived around 6:30 pm carrying country-made pistols, knives, and other weapons.
Staff Tied Up at Gunpoint
Police said the men entered the bank pretending to open a current account. Suddenly, they pulled out weapons and threatened the staff. “Take out the cash, or otherwise I will kill you,” one of the robbers told the branch manager.
They tied the hands and legs of the manager, cashier, and other employees with plastic bags and even locked some of them in the toilet so no one could move or raise an alarm. The robbers then forced the branch manager to open the cash vault and made the staff open the gold locker. They filled their bags with the loot, about Rs 1 crore in cash and gold ornaments weighing around 20 kg, which police estimate to be worth roughly Rs 20 crore.
A Swift Escape
After carrying out the robbery, the masked gang quickly fled the scene. As per the FIR and initial police investigation, they used a Suzuki Ecco van with a fake number plate to escape. Vijayapura Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargi told PTI that the suspects “used an Ecco vehicle with a fake number plate to commit the offense.”
The robbers then reportedly drove towards Pandharpur in Maharashtra. Police said that after entering Solapur district, the gang met with an accident involving a two-wheeler. This led to an argument with locals, but the robbers managed to slip away with the stolen cash and jewelry.
Police Launch Manhunt
Soon after the robbery, a large crowd gathered outside the SBI branch as news of the daring crime spread. Senior officers, including SP Laxman Nimbargi, rushed to the spot and launched a detailed investigation. A case has been registered against the unknown masked men. Police teams from both Karnataka and Maharashtra are now working together in a joint operation to track down the culprits.
Not the First Time
This is not the first major bank robbery in the district this year. In May, another daring theft took place in Vijayapura, when around Rs five lakh in cash and over 58 kg of gold jewelry were looted from a locker at Canara Bank in Managuli village. During that investigation, 15 people were arrested.
The latest robbery has again raised serious concerns about bank security. With the suspects still on the run, police are racing against time to catch the gang that carried out one of the biggest bank heists in the region.
