Patna, May 7 || In a daring daylight robbery, eight armed robbers stormed a Bank of Maharashtra branch in Kashipur locality of Samastipur on Wednesday, looting jewellery worth Rs 4.5 crore and Rs 15 lakh cash, an official said.
The bank, situated in one of the busiest areas of the city, witnessed the crime unfold in broad daylight, leaving the residents in shock.
According to Superintendent of Police Ashok Mishra, the incident was carried out by a gang of eight, of which three posed as customers intending to open accounts. Soon after, five more individuals entered, taking bank employees and customers hostage at gunpoint.
They locked the employees and customers in one room, broke the lockers and took away the jewellery.
"The miscreants looted valuables from both the bank counters and the lockers. They also snatched mobile phones from the staff and customers to prevent any alarms or communication," Mishra said.
Remarkably, the crime went unnoticed by the busy commercial establishments located beneath the bank until the police arrived.
The gang members fled the scene on motorcycles, and no immediate alarm was raised.