BALASORE: Six armed men, dressed in college uniform, robbed more than Rs 40 lakh from Srirampur branch of the State Bank of India on Thursday, leaving Balasore police at its wit’s end.
The six robbers, who were wearing masks and armed with guns and sharp-edged weapons, entered the bank at around 2 pm and closed its main gate. They then threatened the customers present in the branch with the weapons.
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While three of the armed men went to the system room of the bank, the rest proceeded towards the Cashier desk and took all the money from the cash drawer. They stayed in the branch for 10 minutes and escaped after once again locking the main gate.
IIC of Basta police station Dhruba Charan Sahu said the miscreants were dressed in college uniform and their faces covered with black masks.
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They had come on five motorcycles and locked the main gate of the branch from outside before fleeing with the money. He said a police team led by SDPO Ranjeet Kumar Prusty rushed to the branch soon after the incident and found at least four unexploded bombs left behind by the miscreants.
Meanwhile, a massive manhunt has been launched to nab the culprits. All exit points from the district at Basta, Rupsha and towards Baisingha in Mayurbhanj district have been sealed.
Police suspect that the robbers fled to West Bengal or Mayurbhanj after committing the crime.
The CCTV footage of the bank is being scanned by the police. Since the robbers were in college uniform, it is suspected that they are college students.